Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society
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Good clinical evidence has been reported for the effect of PC6 acupuncture in preventing or attenuating postoperative and pregnancy related nausea. Our primary aim was to examine whether PC6 acupuncture during a period of chemotherapy could complement pharmacological treatment of nausea in cancer patients in the palliative stage of their disease. ⋯ The study demonstrated that acupuncture treatment in cancer patients can be associated with a significantly reduced intensity of nausea during a period of chemotherapy in their final phase of life.
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Review
Is it all about sex? Acupuncture for the treatment of pain from a biological and gender perspective.
Pain is a unique personal experience showing variability where gender and sex related effects might contribute. The mechanisms underlying the differences between women and men are currently unknown but are likely to be complex and involving interactions between biological, sociocultural and psychological aspects. In women, painful experimental stimuli are generally reported to produce a greater intensity of pain than in men. ⋯ When assessing the outcome of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies in pain treatment, the factors of gender and sex should be taken into account as the response to an intervention may differ. Preferably, treatment recommendations should be based on studies using both women and men as the norm. Due to variability in results, findings from animal studies and experiments in healthy subjects should be interpreted with care.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Trigger point acupuncture for treatment of knee osteoarthritis--a preliminary RCT for a pragmatic trial.
There is evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture treatment in knee osteoarthritis, but it remains unclear which acupuncture modes are most effective. We evaluated the effects of trigger point acupuncture on pain and quality of life in knee osteoarthritis patients, compared with acupuncture at standard points, and sham acupuncture. ⋯ These results suggest that trigger point acupuncture therapy may be more effective for osteoarthritis of the knee in some elderly patients than standard acupuncture therapy.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Surface electrostimulation of acupuncture points for sedation of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit--a pilot study.
This is a pilot study to investigate the effects of electrostimulation of acupuncture points on sedation and the dose of sedatives in the Intensive Care Unit. ⋯ This pilot study showed significant reduction in the dose of propofol required for sedation in critically ill patients following surface electrostimulation of acupuncture points, without any adverse effects. A randomised controlled trial is warranted.