Acupuncture 'boosts IVF success'
BBC News
Acupuncture helped, but doctors do not know why
Women undergoing fertility treatment could have their chances of success boosted by acupuncture.
German researchers said they have increased success rates by almost 50% in women having in vitro fertilization (IVF).
The theory is that acupuncture can affect the autonomic nervous system, which is involved in the control of muscles and glands, and could therefore make the lining of the uterus more receptive to receiving an embryo.
But the scientists admit they do not know for certain why the complementary therapy helped, and plan to carry out more studies in a bid to find out.
If these findings are confirmed, they may help us improve the odds for our IVF patients achieving pregnancy
Dr. Sandra Carson, American Society of Reproductive Medicine
Fertility techniques are used to help couples who cannot conceive naturally.
The theory of acupuncture is based on pathways called meridians. Research has shown it can help relieve nausea caused by anaesthetics during surgery or chemotherapy and to relieve dental pain.
It may also help relieve other conditions including headaches and menstrual cramps.
'A useful tool'
A report published in the journal Fertility and Sterility found the pregnancy rate in the group receiving acupuncture group was 42.5%, compared to the group which did not receive the therapy, where the rate was 26.3%.
The German researchers worked with doctors at the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, China.
Of 160 women undergoing IVF, half received standard in vitro fertilization, while half were given acupuncture treatments before and after.
The researchers chose acupuncture points which traditional Chinese medicine says relax the uterus.
They also used needles to stimulate meridians involving the spleen, stomach and colon, to improve blood flow and create "more energy in the uterus."
Key relaxation points were also stimulated.
The research team, led by Dr. Wolfgang Paulus and colleagues at the Christian-Lauritzen-Institut in Ulm, Germany, wrote in the journal: "Acupuncture seems to be a useful tool for improving pregnancy rate after assisted reproductive techniques.
They add: "To rule out the possibility that acupuncture produces only psychological or psychosomatic effects, we plan to use a placebo needle set as a control in a future study."
Such a study would involve people having needles inserted in the same way as in acupuncture, but not at the acupuncture points.
Dr. Sandra Carson, president-elect of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, which publishes the journal, said: "If these findings are confirmed, they may help us improve the odds for our (in vitro fertilisation) patients' achieving pregnancy."
|
|
Acupuncture Eases Knee, Neck Pain, Studies Find
By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDayNews) -- Alternative therapies such as acupuncture may be worth a try to help relieve neck, back and knee pain.
That's the conclusion of two studies that appear in the Dec. 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
In one study of patients with painful knee arthritis, University of Maryland researchers compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture -- in which needles are inserted into points that aren't true acupuncture points. A third group received education sessions on arthritis management. The 570 patients were randomly divided to received either 23 sessions of acupuncture over 26 weeks; 23 sessions of sham acupuncture over 26 weeks; or six 2-hour education sessions.
After 26 weeks, the true acupuncture group experienced greater improvement than the sham group or the education group in both pain and function.
"This echoes the results of studies we have been doing for 11 years now," said study author Dr. Brian M. Berman, director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
In the second study, Dr. George Lewith of the University of Southampton in England and his colleagues compared acupuncture versus electrical stimulation of acupuncture points in 135 patients with neck pain. The patients were evenly divided between the two groups. Acupuncture reduced the neck pain and produced statistically significant effects, compared to mock acupuncture.
"Acupuncture is safe and effective for pain so it's worth trying," said Lewith, senior research fellow at the University of Southampton. "We need to do more big studies, but above all else we need to understand why such a safe treatment is so effective in the long term."
SOURCES: Brian M. Berman, M.D., professor, family medicine, and director, Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; George Lewith, D.M., F.R.C.P., senor research fellow, University of Southampton, England, and visiting professor, University of Westminster, England; Donald W. Novey, M.D., medical director, The Center for Complementary Medicine, Advocate Medical Group at Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, Ill.; Dec. 21, 2004, Annals of Internal Medicine
|
|
Acupuncture Relieves Pain and Improves Function University of Maryland Study Documents Support for Alternative and Complementary Treatment
Acupuncture provides pain relief
and improves function for people
with osteoarthritis of the knee and
serves as an effective complement
to standard care.
Researchers at the University Of
Maryland School Of Medicine have
found that traditional Chinese
acupuncture significantly improves
function and reduces pain for
patients with osteoarthritis who are
also taking pain medication. These
are the results of a four-year study
published in December 21, 2004
issue of the Annals of Internal
Medicine.
The trial, funded by the National
Institute of Health (NIH), encompassed
570 participants-the largest
group ever for an acupuncture
study. Researchers divided participants
into three groups.
One group received education
about arthritis, another group
received traditional Chinese acupuncture
and the third received
sham acupuncture, where practitioners
taped the needles on the skin
but they did not go through. The
stainless steel needles are about the
width of a human hair and are not
painful when inserted correctly.
At the end of the 26 weeks,
patients receiving traditional
Chinese acupuncture had more
improvement in both pain relief and
function when compared to the
sham acupuncture and the education
groups.
Nationwide, University of
Maryland Integrative Medicine was
the main site of three clinics participating
in this clinical trial. The trial
demonstrates that traditional
Chinese acupuncture can be an
effective complement to conventional
arthritis treatment and can successfully
be employed as part of a
multi-disciplinary approach to treating
the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Acupuncture has been practiced
for more than 3,000 years in China
and other Asian countries and is
based on the idea that energy flows
along channels called meridians in
the body. It is believed that the
blockage of the energy flow in the
meridian causes pain and illness.
Practitioners unblock or stimulate
these channels by inserting thin
needles at precise points on these
meridians. A study published in
2004 by Dr. Lixing Lao from the
University of Maryland showed
acupuncture to be safe when it is
practiced by adequately trained,
licensed acupuncturists.
In recent weeks, the popular
painkiller rofecoxib (sold under the
brand name Vioxx) has been pulled
off the market after studies showed
it increased the risk of heart disease.
Serious questions have been
raised about the safety of celecoxib
(Celebrex) and valdecoxib (Bextra).
With these mainstream medications
no longer available or shown to
have serious side effects, acupuncture
is a proven treatment.
Overall, patients receiving the
true acupuncture reported a 40
percent improvement in both
pain and function from their
baseline scores.
University of Maryland Integrative
Medicine, LLC licensed acupuncturists
Dr. Lixing Lao and Marcos Hsu participated
in the NIH Osteoarthritis Study.
They are accepting new patients.
If you would like to learn more
about University of Maryland,
Integrative Medicine please go to
www.compmed.umm.edu or call
Jeanette Cronise, Practice Director
at 410-448-6361.
Your Partner in Healthy Choices
University of Maryland
Integrative Medicine, LLC
Kernan Hospital
www.compmed.umm.edu
|
|
Acupuncture more effective at reducing nausea and vomiting after major breast surgery than the leading medication
Medical Procedure News
Published: Wednesday, 22-Sep-2004
In the first such clinical trial of its kind, researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that acupuncture is more effective at reducing nausea and vomiting after major breast surgery than the leading medication.
The researchers also found that patients who underwent the 5,000-year-old Chinese practice reported decreased postoperative pain and increased satisfaction with their postoperative recovery. In conducting the trial, the researchers also demonstrated that the pressure point they stimulated possesses previously unknown pain-killing properties.
Results of the Duke study were published Sept. 22, 2004, in the journal Anesthesia and Analgesia.
Treating postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is an important medical issue. About 70 percent of women who undergo major breast surgery requiring general anesthesia suffer from this complication, according to Duke anesthesiologist Tong Joo (T.J.) Gan, M.D., who led the trial. These adverse side effects are important factors in determining how soon patients can return home after surgery.
"The patients in our randomized trial who received acupuncture enjoyed a more comfortable recovery from their surgery than those who received an antisickness medication," Gan said. "In the areas of PONV control, pain relief, and general overall satisfaction, acupuncture appears to be more effective than the most commonly used medication, with few to no side effects."
In the trial, Gan employed an electro-acupuncture device in which an electrode - like that used in standard EKG tests - is attached at the appropriate point. In this case, the point is known as P6 and is located below the wrist. Instead of actually breaking the skin with the traditional long slender needles, the electro-acupuncture device delivers a small electrical pulse through the skin.
"Electro-acupuncture enhances or heightens the effects of traditional acupuncture," Gan explained. "Also, in the busy and complicated setting of the operating room, the electro-acupuncture device is much more convenient to use."
The researchers enrolled 75 women who were to undergo major breast surgery (breast augmentation, breast reduction or mastectomy) requiring the use of general anesthesia. They were then randomized into three groups: one which received acupuncture, one which received the medication ondansetron (trade name Zofran), and a group that received neither.
The surgeries lasted anywhere from two to four hours, and the incidence of PONV and pain were tracked at 30-minute intervals for the first two hours after surgery, and then again 24 hours later.
Two hours after surgery, 77 percent of the patients receiving acupuncture experienced no PONV, nor did they require an antiemetic drug to reduce nausea and vomiting, compared to 64 percent for those who received ondansetron and 42 percent who received nothing. At 24 hours, the rates were 73 percent, 52 percent and 38 percent, respectively.
"When used for the prevention of PONV, electro-acupuncture stimulation or ondansetron was more effective than placebo with a greater degree of patient satisfaction, but the electro-acupuncture appears to be more effective in controlling nausea, compared to ondansetron," Gan said.
The electro-acupuncture was applied at the 6th point (P6) along the pericardial meridian, which is located two inches below the bottom of the palm of the hand and between the two tendons connecting the lower arm with wrist. According to Chinese healing practices, there are about 360 specific points along 14 different lines, or meridians, that course throughout the body just under the skin.
"The Chinese believe that our vital energy, known as chi, courses throughout the body along these meridians," Gan explained. "While healthiness is a state where the chi is in balance, unhealthiness arises from either too much or too little chi, or a blockage in the flow of the chi. By applying acupuncture to certain well-known points, the Chinese believe they can bring the chi back into balance."
While pressure on other acupuncture points - LI4 on the hand, SP6 on the leg and "back-shu" along the spine - are known to have pain-killing effects, this is the first to show that P6 also has analgesic effects to go along with its known antiemetic properties, Gan said.
While it is not completely known why or how acupuncture - whether electro-acupuncture or traditional - works, recent research seems to point its ability to stimulate the release of hormones or the body's own painkillers, known as endorphins, Gan said.
Interestingly, Gan said, low-frequency modulation of the electro-acupuncture device appears to release one type of endorphin that produces analgesia of slower onset but longer duration. When higher frequencies are used, the body appears to produce another type of endorphin that provides rapid analgesia, but of shorter duration.
The scientists will conduct further studies comparing the various combinations of these frequencies, as well as comparing the combination of acupuncture with other antiemetic medications.
Gan said that women in general are three times more likely to suffer from PONV after major surgery than men, though the reasons why are not known.
The research was supported by Duke's Department of Anesthesiology. Members of Gan's team were, all from Duke: Kui Ran Jiao, M.D., Michael Zenn, M.D., and Gregory Georgiade, M.D.
http://www.dukemednews.org/
|
Print This Page
|
| News & Events |
|
Acupuncture 'boosts IVF success' BBC News Acupuncture helped, but doctors ... more
|
 |
|
Acupuncture Eases Knee, Neck Pain, Studies Find By Kathleen Doheny HealthDay ... more
|
|
|
Acupuncture Relieves Pain and Improves Function University of Maryland Study ... more
|
|
|
Acupuncture more effective at reducing nausea and vomiting after major breast ... more
|
|
