Japanese-Style Acupuncture for Endometriosis-Related Pelvic
Pain
Wayne PM, et al. Harvard Medical School Osher
Research Center, Boston; New England School of Acupuncture, Watertown.
OBJECTIVE: To assess feasibility, and collect preliminary data for a subsequent
randomized, sham-controlled trial to evaluate Japanese-style acupuncture for
reducing chronic pelvic pain and improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL)
in adolescents with endometriosis. DESIGN: Randomized, sham-controlled trial.
SETTINGS: Tertiary-referral hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen young women
(13-22y) with laparoscopically-diagnosed endometriosis-related chronic pelvic
pain. INTERVENTIONS: A Japanese style of acupuncture and a sham acupuncture
control. Sixteen treatments were administered over 8 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURES: Protocol feasibility, recruitment numbers, pain not associated with
menses or intercourse, and multiple HRQOL instruments including Endometriosis
Health Profile, Pediatric Quality of Life, Perceived Stress, and Activity
Limitation. RESULTS: Fourteen participants (out of 18 randomized) completed the
study per protocol. Participants in the active acupuncture group (n = 9)
experienced an average 4.8 (SD = 2.4) point reduction on a 11 point scale (62%)
in pain after 4 weeks, which differed significantly from the control group's (n
= 5) average reduction of 1.4 (SD = 2.1) points (P = 0.004). Reduction in pain
in the active group persisted through a 6-month assessment; however, after 4
weeks, differences between the active and control group decreased and were not
statistically significant. All HRQOL measures indicated greater improvements in
the active acupuncture group compared to the control; however, the majority of
these trends were not statistically significant. No serious adverse events were
reported. CONCLUSION: Preliminary estimates indicate that Japanese-style
acupuncture may be an effective, safe, and well-tolerated adjunct therapy for
endometriosis-related pelvic pain in adolescents. A more definitive trial
evaluating Japanese-style acupuncture in this population is both feasible and
warranted.
Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2008 Oct;21(5):247-57.
[TOP]
Autonomic Nervous Activity of Night Shift Workers Treated
with Laser Acupuncture
Wu JH, et al. Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Ming Chuan University, Da Chien General Hospital, Miaoli, Taiwan.
Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of laser
acupuncture on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) of the night shift worker.
Background Data: Many articles have demonstrated that levels of affective
disorders and stress are high in night shift workers. We applied laser energy to
the Neiguan point (PC6) to examine the impact of laser acupuncture on the ANS of
45 healthy young males who were night shift workers and evaluated their
heart-rate variability (HRV). Materials and Methods: The laser group (n = 15)
received laser acupuncture (9.7 J/cm(2), 830 nm) for 10 min, and the placebo
group (n = 15) received sham laser treatment. The effects before and after this
intervention on the HRV of the subjects were assessed, along with those seen
after 30 min of lying down. Results: After treatment and after the 30-min rest
period, the independent-sample t-test showed that both groups exhibited
statistically significant differences in high-frequency (HF) HRV, low-frequency
(LF) HRV, and the LF:HF ratio of HRV (p < 0.05). Compared with the placebo
group, the paired-samples t-test showed that after laser treatment the treatment
group had a statistically significant improvement in HF HRV (p = 0.001), LF HRV
(p = 0.001), and the LF:HF HRV ratio (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Laser acupuncture
stimulation applied to the Neiguan point increased vagal activity and
suppression of cardiac sympathetic nerves. This effect was positive and could be
used to help patients who have circadian rhythm disorders.
Photomed Laser Surg. 2008 Sep 11.
Source: PubMed
[TOP]
Toona Sinensis Roem Tender Leaf Extract Inhibits SARS
Coronavirus Replication
Chen CJ, et al. Division of Rheumatology, Allergy
and Immunology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang
Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; School of Chinese
Medicine, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a life-threatening disease caused by
the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The development of new antiviral agents for
SARS-CoV is an important issue. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) might be a
potential resource for development of new drugs against SARS-CoV. Therefore, our
team recruited the potential TCM formulae (also known as Kampo) from two TCM
books, Shang-Han Lun (Discussion of Cold-Induced Disorders) and Wen-Bing
Tiau-Bein (Differential Management of Febrile Diseases). Several herbs, which
were believed to be beneficial for SARS by experienced TCM doctors were also
recruited. In addition, a vegetable popular in Taiwan, China and Malaysia, the
tender leaf of Toona sinensis Roem (also known as Cedrela sinensis, belongs to
the family Meliacceae) was also recruited under the suggestion of botanic
experts. These TCM products and plant extracts were then tested for the
effectiveness against SARS-CoV in vitro. Finally, only TSL-1, the extract from
tender leaf of Toona sinensis Roem was found to have an evident effect against
SARS-CoV with selectivity index 12-17. In conclusion, this paper reports for the
first time that extract from a vegetable, the tender leaf of Toona sinensis Roem,
can inhibit SARS-CoV in vitro. Therefore, the tender leaf of Toona sinensis Roem
may be an important resource against SARS-CoV.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2008 Aug 9.
Source: PubMed [TOP] |
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