Category: Acupuncture Research & Miscellaneous Conditions

Researchers using functional MRI scanning have found that acupuncture induces significant connectivity changes in the brains of patients recovering from Bell’s palsy. Previous studies have demonstrated disruption to connectivity between the somatosensory area and other brain regions.

Brain activity was studied in 20 Bell’s palsy patients (aged 19 to 70), and also in 28 healthy subjects (aged 23 to 54). All were given fMRI scans before and after acupuncture at the point Hegu which is frequently included by acupuncturists treating this condition. Acupuncture was found to significantly increase connectivity in the primary somatosensory area, in patients still recovering from Bell’s palsy. Interestingly, there were no such changes in the already-recovered and in the healthy group. The researchers conclude that their findings may begin to shed light on the underlying mechanisms by which acupuncture treats Bell’s palsy.

(Acupuncture-induced changes in functional connectivity of the primary somatosensory cortex varied with pathological stages of Bell’s palsy. NeuroReport 1 October 2014.)

Researchers in Norway have investigated the correlation between choice of acupuncture points and the recurrence rate of cystitis among women prone to the condition and receiving preventative acupuncture treatment. A total of 58 such women were given acupuncture twice per week for four weeks, the treatments being individualised according to a traditional Chinese diagnosis. They were followed up over a six month period.

The most successful combination of acupuncture points was Shenshu on the lower back and Taixi on the ankle. Women for whom these points were used, experienced only one third of the number of symptomatic cystitis attacks over the follow-up period, compared with women for whom these points were not used. Use of the point Shenshu was associated with a significant reduction in residual urine volume, as measured a few days after treatment.

(Acupuncture points used in the prophylaxis against recurrent uncomplicated cystitis, patterns identified and their possible relationship to physiological measurements. Chinese Journal of Integrated Medicine, 9 December 2014, on-line.)

American researchers have found that acupuncture can improve cardiac function in patients with stable ischaemic heart disease. The trial was accepted for publication in the prestigious International Journal of Cardiology. In a randomized controlled study involving 151 subjects, mean age 63, allocated to receive traditional acupuncture, sham acupuncture or no intervention, they found that heart rate variability during mental stress tests, was higher in the traditional acupuncture group. Heart rate variability has previously been shown to be reduced in stable ischaemic heart disease patients, and this can be associated with sudden cardiac death.

The authors conclude the effect of acupuncture on heart rate variability may be clinically relevant and further work should be done.

(A randomized controlled trial of acupuncture in stable ischaemic heart disease patients. International Journal of Cardiology, on-line 11 July 2014. See http://www.internationaljournalofcardiology.com/article/S0167-5273(14)01201-7/abstract)

A small pilot study undertaken by researchers in Turkey suggests that acupuncture can help nocturia (night time trips to the toilet). A total of 35 patients, 23 women and 12 men, ranging in age from 28 to 72, were given acupuncture every two days for a total of ten sessions. By the end of the trial, 60% of patients reported that their nocturia had resolved completely, with a 37% finding that it had reduced to once per night.

(Treatment of nocturia symptoms with acupuncture. Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Research, Vol 38, 2013.)

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.)