02 February 2012

Chinese Medicine Dietetics, Volume 1 is now available in paperback at Amazon and other bookseller outlets. Five years in the making, the authors have combined Chinese medicine dietetics with ‘western’ biomedicine. The book opens with a brief history and introduction to Chinese medicine theory and dietetics preparation techniques. Next, the focus shifts to a detailed look at individual foods and their uses for the healing of specific disorders. Cereals, tubers, oils, condiments, liquor, beans, fungi, fruits, vegetables and herbs are covered in detail. A special section looks at the healing properties of tea. It is a fresh look into the world of traditional Asian healing foods as well as the healing properties of foods from Europe and the Americas.

The authors created the book to better help students of Chinese medicine and licensed acupuncturists explore the foundations of dietetics. Prof. Jeffrey Pang, L.Ac. is the Department Chair for Theory and Herbology at Five Branches University (Santa Cruz and San Jose, California). Adam White, L.Ac. served as a faculty member at Five Branches University and as the Five Branches University Director of Acupuncture Continuing Education. Together, the authors have worked to create a text that integrates biomedical research and Chinese medicine dietetics principles.

The authors plan the release of Chinese Medicine Dietetics, Volume 2 later this year. It will include recipes for the treatment of headaches, respiratory disorders, urinary system dysfunction, diabetes, obesity, skin disorders and high blood pressure. More fruits, vegetables, herbs and nuts will be covered and a section on meats and dairy will be included. HealthCMi press currently offers Chinese Medicine Dietetics, Volume 1 in paperback through Amazon and other bookseller outlets.

28 January 2012

A recent study published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences concludes that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. There were 72 subjects in this randomized controlled study. The acupuncture treatment group received 8 acupuncture treatments over a period of 4 weeks and night splinting was used as an additional component to the medical are. The control group received night splinting, sham acupuncture (use of non-relevant acupoints in relation to carpal tunnel syndrome), vitamin B1 and vitamin B6. A follow up after the treatment regime measured a clinically significant nerve conduction velocity difference between the groups. The acupuncture group measured significantly better according to the nerve conduction study’s electrophysiological measurements. The researchers also conclude that acupuncture is effective in relieving the subjective symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.¹

This new acupuncture and carpal tunnel syndrome research from 2012 is not alone. Looking back to a less recent study from 2006 published in the Journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain, researchers measured the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome and discovered a brain pathway by which acupuncture exerts its therapeutic results. The researchers measured brain responses using fMRI technology to measure brain processing related to acupuncture stimuli in relation to neuropathic pain. The controlled study discovered that acupuncture caused greater activation of the hypothalamus and greater deactivation of the amygdala- both important brain centers. The researchers concluded that acupuncture benefits chronic pain sufferers “through a coordinated limbic network including the hypothalamus and amygdala.”²

References:

1. Acupuncture in treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome: A randomized controlled trial study. Saeid Khosrawi, Alireza Moghtaderi, Shila Haghighat. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, Vol 17, No 1 (2012).

2. PAIN. Volume 130, Issue 3 , Pages 254-266, August 2007. Hypothalamus and amygdala response to acupuncture stimuli in carpal tunnel syndrome. V. Napadow, N. Kettner, J. Liu, M. Li, K.K. Kwong, M. Vangel, N. Makris, J. Audette, K.K.S. Hui. July 2006.

19 January 2012

A recent study concludes that acupuncture affects the attention function of the brain. The study measured the effects of acupuncture points Ht7 (Shenmen) and Lu9 (Taiyuan). Researchers discovered that Ht7 had a “greater influence on the attention function of the brain.” The goal of the study was to investigate the effects of needling Ht7 and Lu9 on human attention brain function and also to explore methods to research brain function as it relates to acupuncture stimulation.

The researches used EEG (electroencephalography) to measure ERP (event-related potentials). EEG measures electrical activity of the brain and ERP is a measure of brain responses related to thought and perception. ERP is an electrophysiological measurement of stimuli to the brain. Researchers looked for changes in P300, a brainwave reflecting cognitive function in decision making processes, after application of manual acupuncture at Ht7 and Lu9. A subset of P300 is P3a. This brainwave measures attention and orientation to changes in the environment. Researchers noted that acupuncture at these points affected P3a and another P300 brainwave known at P3b. P3b measures information processing and recognition of improbable events (things that defy ordinary expectations). The more unlikely an event, the greater the P3b brainwave.

EEG brainwaves now measure what has been known to Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Ht7 (Shenmen, Spirits Gate) is an acupuncture point at the wrist crease known to be calming and restful to the heart and ‘spirit’. It is traditionally used for mental restlessness, mania, palpitations, disorientation, depression, and poor memory. Lu9 is known more for its affect on lung disorders so it is not surprising, from a Chinese medicine perspective, that EEG measurements more strongly connect Ht7 to changes in brainwave states associated with attention and cognition.

Reference:
Effects of acupuncture at Shenmen (HT7) or Taiyuan (LU9) on P3a and P3b of event-related potentials in healthy young adults. Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao. 2012 Jan ;10(1):48-53.

13 January 2012

Several recent studies show that acupuncture is an effective treatment for migraines. Dr. Molsberger, MD, of the Canadian Medical Association writes “acupuncture is more effective than no acupuncture” and is at the very least “as effective as a B-blocker (beta blocker).” These conclusions were directly taken from studies showing the efficacy of acupuncture care. He also reports that acupuncture is “effective and safe.” Also reported was that acupuncture is “more effective than flunarizine in decreasing the duration of migraine attacks.” He follows reports of these studies with other studies showing the efficacy of acupuncture for treating headaches, arthritis, lower back pain and shoulder pain.

Dr. Molsberger’s report is not without controversy. He citied a study showing that true acupuncture and sham acupuncture are both effective in the treatment of migraines in the short term. However, the same study also notes that true acupuncture is more effective measured 8 weeks after the acupuncture treatment.

References:
1. Nicholson RA, Buse DC, Andrasik F, et al. Nonpharmacologic treatments for migraine and tension-type headache: how to choose and when to use. Curr Treat Options Neurol 2011;13:28-40
2. Schiapparelli P, Allais G, Castagnoli Gabellari I, et al. Non- pharmacological approach to migraine prophylaxis: part II. Neurol Sci 2010;31(Suppl 1):S137-9
3. Linde K, Streng A, Jurgens S, et al. Acupuncture for patients with migraine: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2005;293: 2118-25.
4. Diener HC, Kronfeld K, Boewing G, et al. Efficacy of acupunc- ture for the prophylaxis of migraine: a multicentre randomised controlled clinical trial. Lancet Neurol 2006;5:310-6.
5. Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, et al. Acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2009;(1):CD001218.
6. Yang CP, Chang MH, Liu PE, et al. Acupuncture versus topira- mate in chronic migraine prophylaxis: a randomized clinical trial. Cephalalgia 2011;31:1510-21.
7. Wang LP, Zhang XZ, Guo J, et al. Efficacy of acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis: a single-blinded, double-dummy, random- ized controlled trial. Pain 2011;152:1864-71.
8. Molsberger AF, Schneider T, Gotthardt H, et al. German Ran- domized Acupuncture Trial for chronic shoulder pain (GRASP) — a pragmatic, controlled, patient-blinded, multi-centre trial in an outpatient care environment. Pain 2010;151:146-54
9. Vas J, Ortega C, Olmo V, et al. Single-point acupuncture and physiotherapy for the treatment of painful shoulder: a multicen- tre randomized controlled trial. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2008; 47:887-93.
10. Scharf HP, Mansmann U, Streitberger K, et al. Acupuncture and knee osteoarthritis: a three-armed randomized trial. Ann Intern Med 2006;145:12-20.
11. Haake M, Muller HH, Schade-Brittinger C, et al. German Acupuncture Trials (GERAC) for chronic low back pain: ran- domized, multicenter, blinded, parallel-group trial with 3 groups. Arch Intern Med 2007;167:1892-8.
12. Endres HG, Bowing G, Diener HC, et al. Acupuncture for ten- sion-type headache: a multicentre, sham-controlled, patient-and observer-blinded, randomised trial. J Headache Pain 2007; 8:306-14.
13. Li Y, Zheng H, Witt CM et al. Acupuncture for migraine prophy- laxis: a randomized controlled trial. CMAJ; 2012 Jan. 9 [Epub ahead of print].
14. Unschuld PU. Chinesische medizin. Munich (Germany): CH Beck; 1997.
15. Witt CM, Reinhold T, Jena S, et al. Cost-effectiveness of acupuncture treatment in patients with headache. Cephalalgia 2008;28:334-45.
16. CMAJ 2012. DOI:10.1503 /cmaj.112032.

13 January 2012

Acupuncture and electro-acupuncture were tested for their efficacy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers measured key blood factors responsible for rheumatoid arthritis. The study measured that both acupuncture and electro-acupuncture significantly reduced both blood and synovial joint levels of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Electro-acupuncture was shown to have a greater effect in lowering VEGF than non-electrical acupuncture.

In this randomized controlled study, 63 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were split into two groups. One group received electro-acupuncture and the other received non-electrical acupuncture. Acupuncture points were selected on pain related points (Ashi points) and related Yang acupuncture channels. The patients were treated every other day for a total of ten treatments per course. Each patient received three courses of treatment. The researchers concluded that electroacupuncture “could effectively lower the contents of TNF-α and VEGF in peripheral blood and joint synovia to improve the internal environment for genesis and development of RA, so as to enhance the clinical therapeutic effectiveness.”

Reference:
Ouyang, Ba-si; Gao, Jie; Che, Jian-li; Zhang, Yin; Li, Jun; Yang, Hai-zhou; Hu, Tian-yan; Yang, Man; Wu, Yuan-jian; Ji, Ling-ling. Effect of electro-acupuncture on tumor necrosis factor-α and vascular endothelial growth factor in peripheral blood and joint synovia of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine. 2011-07-01. Chinese Association of Traditional and Western Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. 672-0415, 505- 509 v17 issue 7.