Genuine acupuncture is better than sham acupuncture for treating pain

If you've ever felt confused by all the different articles and research that are published about the effectiveness of acupuncture, it is worth reading this BMJ article summarising recent research. It establishes that acupuncture is superior to "usual care" for painful conditions and, additionally, that genuine acupuncture is superior to "sham" acupuncture. 

Sham acupuncture is given by using a non-penetrating needle or using points that are not true acupuncture points, and is often superior in effect to usual care or no treatment, implying a big placebo effect.  This has led people in the past to assume that this means that all acupuncture is largely placebo.

Reassuringly, this BMJ article demonstrates that acupuncture is genuinely effective for painful conditions and not merely a placebo. 

Depression can result from too much ruminating

The new study showing that rumination tends to result in depression and anxiety brings to mind the Chinese medicine diagnosis of overthinking. This pattern is associated with poor digestion in Chinese medicine and is something I come across quite frequently in clinic - people constantly chew things over in their minds and they don't digest their food well, either. Interestingly, the article observes that rumination can also create eating disorders - a real vicious circle happening. Patients I see are often more concerned about other people than themselves and worry about everything. This process often interferes with their sleep pattern as well, making things worse.

When giving acupuncture to help break the cycle and relieve depression, I often give dietary suggestions alongside treatment, as eating nourishing foods complements treatment very well. As eating patterns improve, and acupuncture lifts energy and calms the mind, patients start to worry less, and their emotional outlook becomes brighter. Seeing patients like this begin to feel better is a very rewarding experience.

The BBC news story is on this link. 

More on my Website.

Premenstrual syndrome and acupuncture

Acupuncture has been demonstrated to be an effective measure to ameliorate premenstrual anxiety and depression (PMT) by new research in Brazil. Long considered by acupuncturists to be a useful intervention for women suffering from PMT symptoms, which can be unbelievably distressing and leave women feeling emotionally out of control, it is good to have another piece of definitive research, confirming our experience.

You can read the results of this randomised clinical trial, which were published in Acupuncture in Medicine, here.

For more information, link to my website.

Reflections on Mountains, Yin and Yang





Halfway up a mountain in North Wales, my companions asked me what mountains mean in Chinese medicine. These are the reflections which came to mind. First, a mountain is Yang whilst valleys are Yin, and climbing mountains is Yang, because it's activity and moving upwards, involves stretching and reaching and effort.

More practically, the movement and exercise and being outdoors 

(all Yang) move our Qi, and that in turn invigorates all the energy systems of the body and mind, hence we feel better in ourselves, even if, in our case, a bit stiff next day from the descent! (That stiffness was fairly quickly put right by the judicious application of a few acupuncture needles - I never go away without my "first aid kit".)

 And, of course, mountains seem to figure in all those wonderful Chinese paintings that the classical painters do: this one, which hangs in my Shaftesbury treatment room, illustrates, I was told, the calming (Yin) effect of being in beautiful places. And as we came down the mountain, we paused for a swim in a mountain lake - the cool, water-filled lake is an even stronger example of Yin to the mountain's Yang. 

Yin and Yang are always juxtaposed and always balance each other - cold to hot, low to high, valley to mountain, calm to busyness, rest to activity, slow to fast, water to air and so on. Both have to be in balance for good health and a happy life.






Acupuncture has an antioxidant effect when treating hypertension

On 9th March, I wrote a blog about three different research studies demonstrating the benefit of acupuncture in treating hypertension. I have just come across another article published last November about a collaboration between the University of South Florida College of pharmacy and Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine.

Acupoint Liver 3

They compared two groups of rats with high blood pressure, one of which had an acupuncture needle inserted in a point on the foot (clearly Liver 3 in traditional acupuncture language), the other a needle in a non-acupuncture point.  Data revealed that the first group had significantly lower blood pressure after treatment but also noted that the part of the brain which regulates blood pressure contained higher levels of antioxidant enzymes, indicating the likely neural mechanism for acupuncture.

You can read the article here, and find out more about treating hypertension with acupuncture on my website.

Fibromyalgia patients frequently choose acupuncture to reduce pain

Recent research indicates that acupuncture is a popular choice for fibromyalgia patients seeking relief from their symptoms.  Fibromyalgia is a distressingly painful condition which afflicts joints and muscles in different regions in the body and often moves around. Response to conventional medication is limited and the moving nature of the condition makes it hard to treat. It is a condition which often becomes worse as time goes on. Patients often seek complementary therapies in addition to biomedical solutions, and acupuncture is revealed to be one of the more beneficial choices. 

 A patient coming to me for acupuncture for fibromyalgia would receive a full TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) diagnosis and, in my opinion, that is probably why acupuncture is proving successful. The comprehensive nature of a Chinese medicine diagnosis means that all the patient's symptoms are taken into account, not just the pain. This enables an acupuncturist to treat underlying issues as well as symptomatic pain. Interestingly, the researchers from the Department of Anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine noted, “We found that acupuncture significantly improved symptoms of fibromyalgia. Symptomatic improvement was not restricted to pain relief and was most significant for fatigue and anxiety.” 

Have a look at the article about this research.

There's more about acupuncture and fibromyalgia on my website.

IVF success rates increased by acupuncture and moxibustion

New research looked at 84 patients who had each had at least two failed attempts at IVF. The female patients were divided into three groups, one receiving genuine acupuncture and moxibustion, one receiving sham treatment, and a control group. The success rate (pregnancy) was 35.7% in the genuine acupuncture group, whereas the sham group success rate was only 10.7% and the control group 7.1%. I personally find these differences quite arresting, and particularly interesting, since not many studies have looked at the effect of moxibustion as well as acupuncture.

I use moxibustion quite frequently in treating fertility problems - not invariably because, sometimes, my Chinese medicine analysis indicates that moxibustion would be unhelpful. Moxibustion is a very ancient traditional therapy in Chinese medicine, and involves the use of the herb artemisia argii, or mugwort, applied to acupuncture points, and warmed. This variety of mugwort has energetic properties which are considered to be inherently warming.  Usually, external warming is done by smouldering a stick of herbs near the skin, but sometimes by applying a moxa spray or salve to the skin and warming it with a heat lamp. Both forms of moxibustion are usually experienced by patients as very pleasant and relaxing. The research information can be accessed  here, in Healthcmi.com, acupuncture news online. More information on acupuncture and moxibustion, and fertility treatment can be found on my website.

Low cost acupuncture for knee pain in Shaftesbury

Group acupuncture at St Albans

Last year there was a very successful NHS clinic established to treat severe knee pain and stiffness created by osteoarthritis. Many of the patients were on waiting lists for surgery for total knee replacement. The local hospital in St Albans decided to try treating these patients with acupuncture to help the pain and stiffness. The treatment was done in a group setting. Interestingly, although this was initially a surprise to the patients, they rapidly adjusted and found the social value of the group enhanced their experience. The results of the group acupuncture were very positive, enabling a number of patients to postpone their surgery. The research was published in Acupuncture in Medicine, accessible here.

We are offering a similar service at the Trinity Practice in Shaftesbury on Wednesday afternoons, starting on 1st May. Anyone interested in having treatment should contact our reception on 01747 851726. If you would like to visualise the treatment, you can watch this YouTube clip of treatment at St Albans.

Exam problems - sleep and acupuncture could help

An interesting study has found a connection between loss of deep wave sleep as people grow older, and loss of memories. These UC Berkeley neuroscientists say that the slow brain waves generated during the deep sleep we typically experience in youth play a part in transporting memories from the hippocampus, which stores short term memories, to the prefrontal cortex, which is more like the brain's hard drive. If sleep is poor, then memories stay in the hippocampus, becoming overwritten by new short term memories, and thus lost. I imagine that most of us have experienced days when lack of sleep makes us feel "brain dead" so, intuitively, this study seems to make sense. More details here.

When I was revising for my acupuncture finals in 1992, I used to give myself a couple of acupuncture treatments each week, designed to keep me calm, and sleeping well, and also boosting my energy, so that I had the inner resources to absorb and retain all the information. Reading this article made me think that most students, approaching exams, could do with that kind of treatment. 

Acupuncture has also been recommended for the elderly in China for many years to generate good health and is, of course, a prime way of ensuring a good night's sleep. I have posted a blog early in February on this subject. Longevity and good health have always been highly prized in China. For more information, please look at my website page on how acupuncture can help in different conditions.

Acupuncture helps to relieve stress

An interesting article appeared a little while ago, indicating how different studies show that acupuncture, in relieving pain and improving sleep, also works to relieve stress. The authors say that acupuncture taps into a basic biological mechanism to relieve stress and keep it under control. As they comment, putting a needle in someone may seem a counter intuitive antidote to stress, but many patients will testify to the relaxing effects of acupuncture treatment. 

I observe this in patients on countless occasions and, speaking for myself, when on the receiving end of a needle, it is the relaxation that I notice first, long before any specific improvement in a physical symptom. One of my patients calls this the "feel good factor" in a treatment. Even better, this relaxing or destressing effect of acupuncture lasts beyond the treatment room and can have a longer term beneficial effect. Hence some people come for treatment simply for stress. You can read the article here.

There is more information about acupuncture and stress, insomnia, anxiety etc on my website.

Acid reflux - new research using acupuncture and Chinese herbs

Acid reflux, often called heartburn, is a very unpleasant symptom which can ruin a person's pleasure in eating, and go on to cause other problems such as coughing and oesophagitis, where the oesophagus becomes inflamed and constantly sore because of the persistent reflux. Various conventional medical interventions are in use, with varying degrees of effectiveness. Acupuncturists using traditional Chinese medical approaches will assess each patient's symptoms individually, including checking pulse and tongue, before treating. My treatment may include a Chinese herbal dietary supplement.

It is very interesting to read this new research, which compared two groups of patients, one receiving acupuncture and Chinese herbs, and the other receiving conventional western medication. 92% of the acupuncture group experienced an improvement, compared with 76% of the western medicine group.  You can read more about this study here.

For the purposes of clear comparison, the study used local abdominal acupuncture points. I would also often use local points, but also sometimes points on a patient's wrists, hands or legs.  There is more information on my website.  Click on the link to Acupuncture and gastrointestinal disorders.

Treating High Blood Pressure with Acupuncture

St 36 - one of the points
mentioned in the studies

A new study demonstrates that acupuncture lowers blood pressure in patients diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure). Another study concludes that acupuncture lowers blood pressure levels in the long term as well as the short term. During my clinical studies in Beijing in 2000, I saw acupuncture used as a standard treatment for high blood pressure, and these studies bear out my clinical experience. This Healthcare Medicine Institute online article describes three different studies, each using slightly different acupoint protocols, but each working well to lower hypertension. All of the acupuncture points mentioned are ones that I am likely to use to treat hypertension but, as each patient is assessed individually in a traditional Chinese medicine approach, I do not generally use fixed lists of points.
One of the studies also showed that acupuncture stimulates neurons in specific brain regions controlling sympathetic nerve stimulation throughout the body, concluding that it is acupuncture's ability to activate brain centres that allows it to lower high blood pressure.

I usually try to explain the action of acupuncture to patients who ask how acupuncture works in western terms, by describing the acupuncture needle as sending an electrical signal to the brain which as a master computer, then sends out signal to correct imbalances and disorders in the body. You can look at the full article here and return to my website for further information.




Trigger point acupuncture and traditional acupuncture - what's the difference?

Trigger point acupuncture, sometimes called intra-muscular needling, is commonly practised by western medically trained health professionals such as doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and some osteopaths and chiropractors, as a small part of their treatments. Traditional acupuncture is typically practised by acupuncturists who have undertaken western medicine training in anatomy, physiology and pathology, but a great deal more training in Chinese medicine. So an acupuncturist's approach to a health problem is from a different perspective.


Acupuncture of trigger points
in the shoulder

However, more and more acupuncturists are also training in trigger point acupuncture as well. I completed a training myself a couple of years ago, and find it an invaluable adjunct to traditional acupuncture. Acupuncturists have always been aware of so called "tender points" when treating musculoskeletal problems, but trigger points are more technical and refer to small areas in a muscle where there is an underlying micro irritation of the nerve pathway supplying that muscle. In response the muscle contracts, placing strain on tendons and muscular spasms. Typically the pain for a particular trigger point will refer along a specific pathway.

When I come across a trigger point and gently insert a needle into it, the sensation is initially unpleasant, followed by massive relief. I have treated injuries of long duration in this way, to the huge relief of the patient! This doesn't just happen to young people playing sports, or taking extreme forms of exercise. I have treated elderly people who have had falls, resulting in no fractures or apparent damage visible on a scan, but causing chronic pain for years. Treating the appropriate trigger point, and then sometimes giving a traditional treatment, has worked wonders. This article describes trigger point acupuncture in a very straightforward way.

More information about acupuncture and my training on my website.

Acupuncture and seasonal allergies, such as hay fever

It's getting to be that time of year again, when for some hay fever sufferers the first symptoms are triggered by tree pollens! Hay fever symptoms, or any seasonal allergy, cause misery for millions during the spring and summer months. Acupuncturists have long considered acupuncture to be beneficial and now our opinion is being confirmed by research, as you can see from this German study.

My experience is that patients do best if they start treatment a week or two before their first symptoms appear but, even if you leave it later, there is still a benefit, and a reduction in the quantity of antihistamines needed. In succeeding years, less treatment is needed to create the same benefit.

To check out more information on my website, click here.

Acupuncture and Morning Sickness

Hello Magazine has this week published Kate's Nine Point Pregnancy Plan. Apparently, the Duchess of Cambridge has recovered from the worst of her morning sickness, for which she was hospitalised for a short time. Sadly, she is said to be continuing to suffer from nausea associated with eating, which can be very hard. Any pregnant woman is very aware of the importance of adequate nutrition for her developing baby, and nausea makes most food seem repellent rather than appealing. I have had a number of patients over the years who have experienced severe morning sickness, including the persistent vomiting (hyperemesis gravidarum) which afflicted Kate. The worst thing about this kind of "morning" sickness is that it continues all day long and can last the whole nine months.

Because acupuncture works on the neurophysiological systems of the body, it is often highly effective for nausea and vomiting, at any age. I have treated elderly people with persistent nausea, not just pregnant women, although mothers-to-be are the group I most often see in clinic. I hope Kate is able to find help for her food associated nausea so that she can enjoy the rest of her pregnancy.

Acupuncture is completely safe at every stage of pregnancy, when given by a qualified practitioner. For more information see this press release from the Britsih Acupuncture Council.

To return to my website, click here.

Acupuncture Awareness Week - Free Consultations in Bristol and Shaftesbury

Acupuncture Awareness Week begins on
25th February.

I shall be offering FREE 20-minute consultations at both my practices. Find out if there is a time that suits you, by phoning
0117 970 6390 for consultations in Clifton, Bristol or
01747 851 726 for consultations in Shaftesbury.


You can also get in touch with me via my website.

Facebook page for Acupuncture in Bristol

I now have a Facebook page which enables me to post links to interesting pieces of current news about acupuncture, so do check it out.  You can access it here.

I also have a Twitter account which can connect you very quickly to the latest news of what's happening in my practice or in the wider world of acupuncture. 

Food for thought!

Chinese medicine looks at food and digestion differently from western dietary principles. Among other considerations, the Chinese say that thinking processes affect digestion.  Of course, in the west, we talk about "digesting" a new idea or another point of view so, instinctively, we can connect with this idea. 

I often have conversations with patients about what they are eating and which foods might help them, as eating well plays such an enormous part in regaining balanced health and energy. 

There is a wealth of useful information about digestion in the Chinese medical theories. Some of it can be difficult to explain, and sounds strange to western ears, so when I read this excellent article on the topic by Nancy Byrne on the AcuTake website, I thought I would recommend it - this is the article.

More information about acupuncture, and what a consultation might involve, can be found on my website FAQs.

Knee pain and mobility improved by acupuncture

A report of a new study shows that acupuncture is better than sham acupuncture at improving pain levels and knee flexibility for patients who have osteoarthritis of the knee.

What's more, acupuncture was shown to be significantly better than sham acupuncture.  And traditional acupuncture (referred to in this report as classical acupuncture) was significantly better than "modern" acupuncture. "Modern" acupuncture means the use of standardised points rather than the individualised diagnosis that traditional acupuncture involves.

48% of patients achieved a reduction in pain with sham acupuncture.
64% of patients achieved a reduction in pain with modern acupuncture.
73% of patients achieved a reduction in pain with traditional acupuncture.

You can Read the report yourself.

To return to my website, click here.

Wondering how acupuncture can affect hot flushes?

Research from the Mayo Clinic in Florida suggests that the channels (or meridians) used in acupuncture to treat hot flushes have a neurophysiological correspondence to the central nervous system pathways which are involved in hot flushes. The summary of the research is available in this online journal. The channels referred to in this research are known in Chinese medicine as Kidney, Spleen, Lung and Heart. 

The photo shows me inserting a needle at a point called Spleen 6 - one frequently used in treating these problems. Pressing the needle's guide tube on the skin, as I pop the needle in, minimises any discomfort for my patient.

More information on my website.

Acupuncture for insomnia - endorsed by research and a doctor on this video

Do you suffer from insomnia? Acupuncturist Maureen Cromey discusses acupuncture treatment with G.P. Sarah Jarvis on BBC Breakfast. I couldn't agree more with what Maureen says. Her experience of helping patients with this problem is obviously very similar to mine, with similarly positive outcomes for people. Also, as Sarah Jarvis says, practical things can help as well, and I always make sure that my patients are familiar with the things they can do to help themselves have a good night's sleep. Have a look at more research on my website.

Anxious before an operation? Acupuncture helps

Most people feel a degree of anxiety before an operation and I have frequently been asked by patients about to have surgery whether I can do anything to help. Acupuncture is considered by many to be a relaxing and calming treatment and, now, evidence from a group of anaesthetists in Turkey shows that acupuncture at the point Yintang definitely reduced pre-operative anxiety. Yintang is a gentle point in between the eyebrows and patients usually feel little discomfort when I use this point. Some say they feel an immediate sense of calm. You can read the study here. 

To look at more on my website click here.

Fibromyalgia patients show a significant improvement with acupuncture

An Iranian study has compared two groups of patients suffering from fibromyalgia. One group received acupuncture, the other had the drug fluoxetine. The acupuncture group showed significant improvement in levels of pain and fatigue, compared to the group receiving fluoxetine. The patients were followed up one year later and the acupuncture group had continued to benefit, particularly in reduction of fatigue and anxiety. The original research can be found here. To look at my website, click here .

Acupuncture and Parkinson's disease - new evidence

Researchers from the University in Seoul, Korea, report that acupuncture may relieve some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The authors of the study say that acupuncture appears to reactivate areas of the brain that have become too deactivated.

The research team used MRI scanning to observe the specific effects on the brain of acupuncture needling at a point typically selected by acupuncturists for patients manifesting Parkinsonian symptoms. They found that the acupuncture point Yanglingquan (GB34) encouraged better neural responses in five different brain regions - basal ganglia, putamen, thalamus, caudate and substantia nigra.  All these brain regions are associated with Parkinson's disease.  You can access the research here.

I also recently came across a YouTube clip published by a Parkinson's disease charity based in Florida, U.S.A., featuring a doctor discussing the possible effects of acupuncture for people with Parkinson's disease.  

 

To return to my website and look at further evidence for Parkinson's disease, please click here.