Medical acupuncture
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Medical acupuncture · Aug 2018
The Geometry of Emotions: Using Chakra Acupuncture and 5-Phase Theory to Describe Personality Archetypes for Clinical Use.
Background: The 5-Phase theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine has been an integral part of medical acupuncture for 2000 years. The research of John R. Cross PhD, PhDAc, has resulted in a further evolution of the 5-Phase theory to include the Ayurvedic chakra energy centers. ⋯ Easy-to-remember names and familiar patterns of emotion that are mapped to the nodes of a pentagon (adapted to chakra acupuncture) were produced. The clinical case showed that the patient's work life conflicts resulted in negative archetype emotional patterns (anger, scarcity, lack of self-esteem) consistent with the presentation of irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, liver illness, and osteoarthritis. Conclusions: Personality archetypes have clinical value for understanding the emotions associated with illness.
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Medical acupuncture · Dec 2017
Effect of Acupuncture on Chronic Pelvic Pain Secondary to Abdominal Myofascial Syndrome Not Responsive to Local Anesthetic Block: A Pilot Study.
Objective: Strong evidence shows that 85% of women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) have musculoskeletal disorders, such as abdominal myofascial pain syndrome (AMPS). The aim of this research was to assess the efficacy of local acupuncture treatment for women with CPP secondary to AMPS unresponsive to treatment with trigger-point injection. Materials and Methods: This pilot study involved 17 women with moderate-to-severe AMPS-related CPP. ⋯ Assessments were performed at baseline and after 1, 3, and 6 months of treatment. Results: Both the VAS and McGill pain questionnaire showed significantly decreased pain intensity (VAS, P < 0.001; and McGill, P 0.049), and the effects were sustained even at 6 months after treatment. Conclusions: Acupuncture treatment was effective for the women who participated in this study, and the current authors believe that these preliminary results suffice to recommend performing randomized controlled trials.
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Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is the most common cranial neuralgia in adults, with a slightly higher incidence in women than in men. This chronic pain condition affects the trigeminal nerve, also known as the 5th cranial nerve. It is one of the most deeply distributed nerves in the head. ⋯ Conclusions: The present article is the one of the first to demonstrate the efficacy of ICBA treatment for refractory facial pain. As the present article shows, ICBA treatment affects facial pain of different types successfully. However, additional larger-scale studies are necessary to validate the efficacy of ICBA in TN and PIFP treatment.
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Medical acupuncture · Oct 2017
ReviewDoes Ear Acupuncture Have a Role for Pain Relief in the Emergency Setting? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Objective: Ear acupuncture might be the form of acupuncture best suited to improving acute pain management in the emergency department (ED). The primary aim of this review was to assess the analgesic efficacy of ear acupuncture in the ED. Secondary outcomes included measures of patient satisfaction, adverse effects, cost, administration techniques, and reduction of medication usage. ⋯ Significant study bias and heterogeneity were found. Conclusions: While study numbers are limited, ear acupuncture, either as stand-alone or as-an-adjunct technique, significantly reduced pain scores and has potential benefits for use in the ED. Further studies will define acupuncture's role and if it reduces use of analgesic medications.
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Medical acupuncture · Oct 2017
Integrating Acupuncture for the Management of Costochondritis in Adolescents.
Background: Costochondritis is a common condition involving inflammation of the costochondral or chondrosternal joints. Conventional management of costochondritis includes pain medications, but these do not provide full recovery in all patients. There is limited information on adjunctive acupuncture for pediatric costochondritis. ⋯ Patient demographics, Numerical Rating Scale, and the Brief Pain Inventory were recorded. Results: All patients demonstrated satisfactory symptomatic reduction following acupuncture treatment. Conclusions: Integrating acupuncture with conventional medicine appeared to reduce the costochondritis symptoms in the adolescent patients.