Category: Acupuncture Research & Miscellaneous Conditions

American researchers who have spent twenty years investigating the mechanisms behind acupuncture’s ability to regulate blood pressure, have now summarised their work in a review paper detailing four specific fundamental findings. They conclude acupuncture has potential to regulate cardiovascular function in patients with conditions such as hypertension, because repetitive treatment can, through a molecular mechanism, cause prolonged cardiovascular changes, far outlasting the duration of needle stimulation. Their work identifies nerve pathways through which acupuncture modifies blood pressure by reducing activity in the brain stem, in turn affecting the autonomic nervous system.

(Acupuncture regulation of blood pressure: two decades of research. International Review of Neurobiology, 2013.)

A retrospective study undertaken in Taiwan, suggests that acupuncture treatment results in reduced demand on other medical services by patients who have experienced traumatic brain injury. Using the country’s health insurance research database, they looked at the medical records of over 66 000 patients who had experienced traumatic brain injury in the period 2000 to 2008, and selected almost 3500 who had received at least twelve acupuncture treatments during the first year following their injury. It was found that compared with patients who had received no acupuncture, the acupuncture group showed fewer visits to, and lower expenditure on, emergency care and hospitalisation in the first twelve months following their injury.

The researchers point out that in the US alone, traumatic brain injury accounts for 1.1 million hospital visits and 50 000 deaths per annum, and the mechanisms behind acupuncture’s effects on it warrant further work.

(Reduced use of emergency care and hospitalization in patients with traumatic brain injury receiving acupuncture treatment. Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, on-line 18 July 2013.)

The results of a pilot study show that patients who are already taking medication (anti-hypertensives) for high blood pressure, may benefit from the addition of acupuncture to their treatment plan.

Researchers in Turkey gathered a sample of 34 patients who had been on anti-hypertensive drugs for at least two years, and who were experiencing side-effects such as dizziness, fatigue, headaches, depression, joint pains, oedema and sleep disturbance. Patients were given 15 acupuncture treatments over a one month period, equating to one session every two days. Patients’ diet, physical activity and drug doses were left unchanged. At the end of the trial, the participants’ blood pressure showed significant reductions: mean systolic (always quoted as the first and higher number) dropped from 163 to 129mmHg; mean diastolic dropped from 94 to 79mmHg.

(The effect of acupuncture on high blood pressure of patients using antihypertensive drugs. Acupuncture Electrother Research, 2013.)

A study undertaken at a hospital in Thailand has shown that acupuncture combined with medication, is significantly more effective than medication alone, in helping diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Forty-eight type-2 diabetics were allocated to receive either medication alone (including amitriptyline and vitamin B12), or medication plus acupuncture. It was found that acupuncture combined with medication, was able to significantly reduce numbness in the lower extremities compared with medication alone.

(The Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. Journal of Thai Traditional & Alternative Medicine, December 2012.)

In a randomised controlled trial undertaken in China, acupuncture for Bell’s palsy with stronger stimulation was found to be more effective in helping facial muscle recovery, disability and quality of life.

A total of 338 patients (aged 18 to 65 years) presenting with facial nerve weakness on one side, of less than seven days duration and without an identifiable cause, were randomly allocated to receive either acupuncture with deqi (stimulation of the needle after insertion in order to produce a localised dull or heavy sensation), or acupuncture with no needle stimulation. Both groups were given twenty 30 minute acupuncture treatments over four weeks. All patients also received the steroid prednisone as a basic treatment. At follow-up after six months, nerve function, disability and quality of life were all significantly better in the deqi group compared with the no stimulation group.

(Effectiveness of Strengthened Stimulation during Acupuncture for the Treatment of Bell Palsy: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2 April 2013.)