Acupuncture Points Have Subjective (Needing Sensation) and Objective (Serum Cortisol Increase) Specificity

1997 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
LU Roth ◽  
A Maret-Maric ◽  
RH Adler ◽  
BE Neuenschwander
Keyword(s):  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Sham Acupuncture ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Acupuncture Points ◽  
Objective Parameter ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Cortisol Increase ◽  
De Qi

This randomised, controlled trial was to determine if blinded subjects are able to discriminate between needle stimulation at traditional acupuncture points and sham points, based on the appreciation of needling sensation (de qi); and if needling at traditional points is related to the objective parameter of serum cortisol increase. Manual acupuncture at traditional and sham points was applied to 20 healthy male students in a single-blind crossover design. Needle sensation (de qi) was reported as significantly stronger with traditional needling than with sham acupuncture. Needling at traditional acupuncture points moderately, but significantly, increased serum cortisol values at 5, 25 and 45 minutes after cessation of stimulation. Needle sensation did not correlate with serum cortisol levels. Experience of pain did not show a difference between traditional and sham needling, nor did it correlate with serum cortisol levels. We conclude that acupuncture points show subjective (needling sensation) and objective (serum cortisol increase) specificity.

scholarly journals Analgesic effects of intravenous flunixin and intrafunicular lidocaine or their combination for castration of lambs

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Straticò ◽  
Vincenzo Varasano ◽  
Riccardo Suriano ◽  
Massimo Mariscoli ◽  
Domenico Robbe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Anaesthesia ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Cortisol Concentration ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Lidocaine Group ◽  
Analgesic Effects ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
Randomised Controlled

ObjectiveTo analyse the effectiveness of intrafunicular lidocaine and intravenous flunixin for reducing pain and signs of stress in lambs undergoing surgical castration.DesignRandomised controlled trial.SettingOne university teaching hospital in Italy.Participants30 healthy male lambs, 9–12 weeks old.InterventionAllocation to five groups: a control group (C), undergoing general anaesthesia but not castration; a surgery group (S), undergoing orchiectomy without analgesic treatment; a surgery-lidocaine group (SL), undergoing orchiectomy and receiving intrafunicular 2 per cent lidocaine solution; a surgery-flunixin group (SF), undergoing orchiectomy and receiving intravenous flunixin; a surgery-flunixin-lidocaine group (SFL), undergoing orchiectomy and receiving both intrafunicular lidocaine and intravenous flunixin.Main outcome measuresNociception and stress were assessed through intraoperative indicators, serum cortisol concentration, glycaemia, behaviour, immune response and clinical evaluation of the heart rate (HR), respiratory rate and rectal temperature after surgery.ResultsGroups S and SL showed increased values of intraoperative HR, mean arterial pressure and postoperative cortisol concentration. In group SFL, cortisol values were similar to those of group C. No other difference could be detected.ConclusionsThe combination of intravenous flunixin and intrafunicular lidocaine reduced the pain and discomfort of lambs castrated under general anaesthesia. Intrafunicular lidocaine alone did not prevent pain or discomfort associated with castration.Trial registration number30/2012/CEISA/COM.

Developing and Validating a Sham Acupuncture Needle

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 118-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A Tough ◽  
Adrian R White ◽  
Suzanne H Richards ◽  
Brian Lord ◽  
John L Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Trigger Point ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Sham Acupuncture ◽  
Previous Experience ◽  
Credibility Scale ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Sham Intervention ◽  
Sham Acupuncture Group ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Objectives To develop a sham needle device and test its credibility as a control for acupuncture when used in a randomised controlled trial of myofascial trigger point needling in patients with whiplash associated pain. Methods Sham needles were developed by blunting true acupuncture needles. Whiplash injured patients (<16 weeks duration) were randomly allocated to receive either true acupuncture or the “placebo” sham needle control. The true and sham needling interventions were delivered using the same standardised procedure. Patients were informed that they would receive either real or placebo needles, and asked (i) to state which treatment they believed they had received (treatment belief); (ii) to complete the four item Borkovec and Nau self-assessment credibility scale. Results were compared between groups and the analysis explored whether a patient's previous experience of acupuncture was related to their treatment belief. Other outcomes of the study will be reported elsewhere. Results 20 patients received the true acupuncture and 21 received the sham. There was no significant difference between the treatment beliefs of the two groups (χ 2 = 1.51; p>0.2) nor in the mean item scores on the Borkovec and Nau credibility scale (t test, p values ranged from 0.38 to 0.87). Of the patients in the sham acupuncture group who had previous experience of acupuncture, none recorded receiving the sham intervention. Conclusion Within the context of this pilot study, the sham acupuncture intervention was found to be a credible control for acupuncture. This supports its use in a planned, definitive, randomised controlled trial on a similar whiplash injured population.

Randomised Controlled Trial on the Use of Acupuncture in Adults with Chronic, Non-Responding Anxiety Symptoms

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Errington-Evans
Keyword(s):  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Waiting List ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Acupuncture Points ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Behaviour ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Background A group of adults can be identified with chronic non-responding anxiety symptoms who have repeatedly accessed treatments through their GP, such as cognitive behaviour therapy, bibliotherapy and medication, but with no effect. These patients make heavy use of health service resources with no beneficial outcome. This study aims to test the effect of an acupuncture formula of three specific acupuncture points, suggested in a previous pilot study. Method 40 participants from a psychiatry waiting list were randomised into one of two groups: group 1 (n=25) received 10 weeks of acupuncture at PC6, HT7 and LR3, and group 2 was a waiting list control group. The waiting list group (n=15) then received acupuncture. Both groups were followed up for 10 weeks after treatment. The outcome measure was the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results 36 patients completed the study, with two dropouts in each group. State anxiety scores in the acupuncture group decreased from 57.7 (SD 13.1) to 38.8 (12.0); scores in the waiting list control group decreased from 61.5 (11.6) to 60.6 (11.7). The difference was highly significant (p<0.0001). Similar changes were seen for trait anxiety scores. The control group showed similar statistically significant improvements when they received acupuncture. The improvements were maintained after 10 weeks of follow-up in each group. Conclusions Acupuncture is a promising intervention for patients with chronic anxiety symptoms that have proven resistant to other forms of treatment.

Effect of Acupuncture on Perception Threshold: A Randomised Controlled Trial

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-36
Author(s):  
Shuang Wu ◽  
Hidenori Yamaguchi ◽  
Koh Shibutani
Keyword(s):  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Mental Foramen ◽  
Sham Acupuncture ◽  
Acupuncture Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Perception Threshold ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Sham Acupuncture Group ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Objective To determine the current perception thresholds (CPTs) for arm and mental foramen areas to enable a quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment. Methods Ninety-eight volunteers enrolled as participants and were randomly assigned to one of three groups: an acupuncture group (34 subjects); a sham acupuncture group (32 subjects) and a waiting group (32 subjects). CPTs for the arm and mental foramen areas were determined before and after acupuncture at LI4 Hegu of the left hand. A Neurometer CPT was used to evaluate the perception threshold at the homolateral mental foramen and arm. For further exploration, thresholds of homolateral and contralateral mental foramina were determined before and after acupuncture in a subgroup of 13 participants in the acupuncture group. Results Acupuncture at LI4 increased the perception thresholds of the left mental foramen in the acupuncture group significantly (p<0.01). The increases were significantly greater than in the control group for all frequencies, and significantly greater than sham acupuncture for 250 Hz and 5 Hz. In the subgroup, only the CPTs at 5 Hz increased significantly for the contralateral mental foramen. Conclusions Acupuncture at LI4 increases the perception threshold in the mandibular area, but not in the arm. This finding is probably related to the analgesic effect of acupuncture.

scholarly journals Evaluation the efficacy and safety of fire needle compared to filiform needle on knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanjie Gao ◽  
Lu Liu ◽  
Bin Li ◽  
Jing Guo ◽  
Huilin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knee Osteoarthritis ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Acupuncture Points ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Filiform Needle ◽  
Fire Needle ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Needle Acupuncture

Abstract Background: Knee osteoarthritis is a common clinical chronic degenerative disease associated with high morbidity and long-term disability. Previous studies have confirmed the efficacy of acupuncture on knee osteoarthritis. Fire needle acupuncture is a combination of heat and acupuncture, which may be more effective than the commonly used filiform needle acupuncture. This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fire needle acupuncture compared to filiform needle acupuncture in knee osteoarthritis patients. Methods and analysis: A total of 100 participants will be randomly assigned to two different groups. Participants will receive fire-needle acupuncture treatment in the fire needle group, while participants in the filiform needle group will be treated with a filiform needle at the same acupuncture points as the fire needle group. All participants will receive a 6-weeks of treatment (2 times per week). The primary outcome is the change of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, and the secondary outcomes include the change of the Visual Analogue Scale, and 12-item Short Form Health Survey from baseline to endpoint. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval of this study was granted by the Research Ethical Committee of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University (2018SB-066). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Outcomes of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications. Trial registration number: ChiCTR1800019579

Acupuncture for overactive bladder in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 321-331
Author(s):  
Tony C Mak ◽  
Hai Yong Chen ◽  
William C Cho
Keyword(s):  
Overactive Bladder ◽  
Symptom Score ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Sham Acupuncture ◽  
Acupuncture Points ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Serious Adverse Events ◽  
Bladder Symptom ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Overactive Bladder Symptom Score

Background: Overactive bladder is prevalent in adults over 40 years of age and its prevalence increases with age. The use of acupuncture in adults with overactive bladder is increasing globally. However, its effectiveness/efficacy and safety have not yet been confirmed. Objective: To determine the effectiveness/efficacy and safety of acupuncture and to identify the pattern of commonly used traditional acupuncture points in the management of overactive bladder in adults. Methods: Ten electronic English and Chinese language databases were systematically searched and two English together with four Chinese journals relevant to acupuncture were manually searched in libraries for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for overactive bladder in adults from their inception to March 2017. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the RCTs. RevMan v.5.3 software was employed for data analysis. Results: Seven eligible trials involving 695 participants were included. Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture was comparable to drugs (tolterodine tartrate/solifenacin) in the reduction of micturition episodes over 24 hours (pooled standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.36, 95% CI −0.23 to 0.95; I2=83%), increase in voided volume of each micturition episode (pooled SMD −0.15, 95% CI −0.36 to 0.05; I2=0%), and reduction of overactive bladder symptom score (pooled SMD −0.23, 95% CI −1.30 to 0.85; I2=91%). In addition, acupuncture was not significantly different compared with placebo in the reduction of overactive bladder symptom score (pooled SMD −2.36, 95% CI −5.64 to 0.93; I2=97%). No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusions: No significant differences in effectiveness or efficacy were found between acupuncture and drug or between verum and sham acupuncture, respectively. Further high-quality studies are required.

Hay Fever Treatment in General Practice: A Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing Standardised Western Acupuncture with Sham Acupuncture

1996 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Williamson ◽  
P Yudkin ◽  
R Livingstone ◽  
K Prasad ◽  
A Fuller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
Active Treatment ◽  
Sham Group ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Active Treatment Group ◽  
Sham Acupuncture ◽  
Hay Fever ◽  
Good Effect ◽  
Symptom Scores ◽  
Randomised Controlled

The effect of standardised, Western acupuncture on hay fever symptoms was investigated in a randomised, controlled, single-blind trial in comparison with “sham” acupuncture. Three general practices, in Oxfordshire (rural), Lincolnshire (semi-rural), and Peterborough (urban), recruited 102 patients aged 16 or over with long-standing, moderate or severe hay fever symptoms that had required continuous therapy for at least one month of the year for three or more consecutive years. The patients were asked to keep a diary to record: the amount of medication used daily; a daily symptom score (using a ten-point scale), from which was derived a weekly remission of symptoms score; and their assessment of the effect of acupuncture on the hay fever symptoms. Symptom scores and use of medication were similar in the two groups. In the four-week period following each patient's first treatment, remission of symptoms was reported by 39.0% in the active treatment group and 45.2% in the sham group; mean weekly symptom scores were 18.4 and 17.6 respectively; and mean units of medication used were 4.1 and 5.0 respectively. Sixteen out of 43 patients in the active treatment group and 14 out of 43 in the sham group felt that the acupuncture had had an excellent or very good effect on their hay fever. The treatments were simple, safe, reproducible and perceived as equally effective. Whether this represented an acupuncture effect, a placebo effect, or natural variation in a fluctuating condition, is not clear.

Ea versus Sham Acupuncture and no Acupuncture for the Control of Acute and Delayed Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: A Pilot Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 277-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris McKeon ◽  
Caroline A Smith ◽  
Kristen Gibbons ◽  
Janet Hardy ◽  
Corrine Haugstetter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Standard Care ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating Scale ◽  
Sham Acupuncture ◽  
Nausea And Vomiting ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Acupuncture Points ◽  
Numerical Rating ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Oncology Unit

Objective To assess the feasibility of undertaking a high-quality randomised controlled study to determine whether EA gives better control of delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) than sham EA or standard antiemetic treatment alone. Methods Patients having their first cycle of moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy were randomised to EA, sham EA or standard care. EA was given for 30 min on day 1 at the time of chemotherapy and on day 3 using standard acupuncture points bilaterally. Sham EA was given to points adjacent to true EA points. All patients received usual care, comprising antiemetics, according to hospital guidelines. The primary outcomes related to study feasibility, and the clinical outcome measure was the change in Functional Living Index Emesis (FLIE) score captured on days 1 and 7. Results 153 participants were screened between April 2009 and May 2011. Eighteen patients did not meet the inclusion criteria, 37 declined to participate and the absence of an acupuncturist or lack of consent from the treating oncologist excluded a further 38 patients; 60 patients were recruited. The FLIE was completed on day 7 by 49 participants; 33 of 40 patients returned on day 3 for treatment. The nausea and vomiting scores were low in all three arms. Adverse events were generally mild and infrequent. Conclusions It was feasible to undertake a randomised EA trial on a busy day oncology unit. As few patients experienced nausea with their first cycle of chemotherapy, it was not possible to determine whether EA improves CINV over standard care. An enriched enrolment strategy is indicated for future studies. A simple numerical rating scale may prove a better objective nausea measure than the FLIE. Trial Registration Number ACTRN12609001054202.

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