Posts Tagged ‘Research’

Research Review Shows Need for Midwifery-Alternative Medicine Cooperation

Schwartz Posted in Acupuncture, Herbs, Women，Tags: , , , , , ,
19 March 2011
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Midwifery

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly popular in maternity care, but healthcare professionals need formal evidence-based education and guidance about its use, according to a review in the March issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

There is also need for greater respect and cooperation between conventional and alternative practitioners and improved communication with patients about the growing use of CAM.

University-based members of the Network of Researchers in the Public Health of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NORPHCAM) reviewed 19 studies covering the views of more than 3,000 maternity professionals from Australia, Canada, the USA, UK, Germany, New Zealand and Israel.

The studies, which were all based on interviews or surveys, were published between 1999 and 2009, 13 in the last five years.

“There is no doubt that the popularity of CAM – including acupuncture, chiropractic, naturopathy, herbal medicine and yoga – has grown in recent years” says lead author Dr Jon Adams, Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, Australia, and Executive Director of NORPHCAM.

“The use of CAM during pregnancy has been debated by practitioners and policy makers around the world and it is clear that there is a real need to develop an integrated approach to maternity care. However this has been hampered by a lack of understanding of the attitudes and practice of mainstream maternity care professionals towards CAM. Our review aimed to provide a clearer picture by pulling together a wide range of published studies based on interviews and surveys.”

Key findings from the most recent 2008 and 2009 studies include:

  • A survey of 343 midwives from Canada and New Zealand found that 72% had recommended or offered CAM. The most common referrals were to homeopaths (51%), acupuncturists (50%), naturopaths (48%), chiropractors (36%), massage therapists (31%) and osteopaths (20%).
  • All but one of the 381 obstetric departments who took part in a German survey said they offered at least one CAM therapy, with acupuncture (97%), homeopathy (93%) and aromatherapy (77%) heading the list.
  • 78% of the 227 midwives who took part in an American study reported using CAM and 89% would refer a patient to CAM providers. The three most commonly used treatments were herbal preparations (85%), pharmacologic/biologic treatments (82%) and mind-body interventions (80%).
  • A study of 401 American obstetricians found that 98% routinely endorsed, provided or referred patients for at least one CAM treatment. Movement therapies topped the list at 86%, followed by biofeedback and acupuncture (both 80%).

“Despite the increasing popularity of CAM in maternity care, and a generally positive attitude towards it, our research review revealed very diverse attitudes towards the practice of alternative treatments between, and within, professions” says Dr Adams.

“For example, our study suggests that, in general, midwives have a more positive view of CAM than obstetricians and that understandings and perceptions of CAM appear to be closely linked with wider notions of professionalism and professional identity.

“In particular, the holistic nature of CAM has a close affinity with the philosophy, professional goals and care perspectives of many midwives.”

The authors raise concerns that their research review showed that most medical professionals have no CAM training and little understanding of the pharmacological nature of alternative therapies and their possible risks to pregnant women.

“There have recently been calls for nursing and midwifery education to include CAM training” says Dr Adams. “In addition, a number of medical organisations and registration boards, including the Royal College of Midwives and Australian Nursing Federation, have issued position statements endorsing the linking of care standards to education and knowledge of CAM.

“We hope that our research review will provide a first step in developing an evidence base on this important topic and provide vital insights for those managing, practising and receiving maternity care.”

Source: Eurekalert

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A Chinese medicine compound has satisfactory anti-cancer effects on hepatocellular carcinoma

Schwartz Posted in Chinese Medicine, Gastrointestinal，Tags: , , , , , , , ,
08 October 2010
1

Traditional Chinese medicine is world renowned. It has supernatural effects on some diseases, but the reason is still unknown. One such article was recently reported in the November 7 issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology dealing with the great significance of a Chinese medicinal compound, delisheng, for the therapy of HCC and its neoteric research method. The research team was led by Dr. Ke-Jun Nan from The First Affiliated Hospital of The School of Medicine of Xi’an Jiaotong University, China. This research will undoubtedly bring comfort to many researchers and patients.

HCC is a highly malignant tumor with a very high morbidity and mortality. Despite extensive efforts by many investigators, systemic chemotherapy for HCC has been quite ineffective. Delisheng is a Chinese medicinal compound and is often used in conjunction with chemotherapy for HCC, with satisfactory results. The researchers tried to establish the mechanisms for these effects of delisheng on HCC.

Three-dimensional cell culture has been widely used for studying the various molecular processes, because spheroids mimic solid tumors more closely than monolayers. Therefore, the use of three-dimensional culture provides a model for the development of anti-cancer drugs. In this study, cells were cultured with a liquid overlay technique. After the formation of multicellular spheroids, they used the model to perform their experiments.

One conclusion reported by the investigators is that three-dimensional cell culture is suitable for the study of a traditional Chinese medicinal compound, and this may help other researchers to find a better model for drug development. Another interesting conclusion is that delisheng had satisfactory anti-cancer effects on HCC, and these were associated with the up-regulation of endostatin. This was made possible by one of delisheng¡¯s components, ginseng, and this may provide a new method of therapy for HCC.

Thus three-dimensional cell culture has been widely used for studying the various molecular processes and the development of therapy in recent years; this is the first reported finding in which the model can be used for studying traditional Chinese medicine. Furthermore, the view that the satisfactory effects of delisheng were associated with the up-regulation of endostatin made possible by ginseng might inspire other researchers.

The results of this study suggest a promising future for many researchers and HCC patients. First, it provides a new model to study traditional Chinese medicine. Second, it introduces the Chinese medicinal compound delisheng and indicates its further applications.

Source: Eurekalert

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Researchers measure acupuncture’s effect on the brain

Schwartz Posted in Acupuncture，Tags: , , , , , , ,
26 September 2010
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Important new research about the effects of acupuncture on the brain may provide an understanding of the complex mechanisms of acupuncture and could lead to a wider acceptability of the treatment.

The study, by researchers at the University of York and the Hull York Medical School published in Brain Research, indicates that acupuncture has a significant effect on specific neural structures. When a patient receives acupuncture treatment, a sensation called deqi can be obtained; scientific analysis shows that this deactivates areas within the brain that are associated with the processing of pain.

Dr Hugh MacPherson, of the Complementary Medicine Research Group in the University’s Department of Health Sciences, says: “These results provide objective scientific evidence that acupuncture has specific effects within the brain which hopefully will lead to a better understanding of how acupuncture works.”

Neuroscientist Dr Aziz Asghar, of the York Neuroimaging Centre and the Hull York Medical School, adds: “The results are fascinating. Whether such brain deactivations constitute a mechanism which underlies or contributes to the therapeutic effect of acupuncture is an intriguing possibility which requires further research.”

Last summer, following research conducted in York, acupuncture was recommended for the first time by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as a treatment option for NHS patients with lower back pain. NICE guidelines now state that GPs should ‘consider offering a course of acupuncture comprising a maximum of 10 sessions over a period of up to 12 weeks’ for patients with this common condition.

Current clinical trials at the University of York are investigating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and for depression. Recent studies in the US have also shown that acupuncture can be an effective treatment for migraines and osteoarthritis of the knee.

The York team believe that the new research could help to clear the way for acupuncture to be more broadly accepted as a treatment option on the NHS for a number of medical conditions.

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Chinese acupuncture affects brain’s ability to regulate pain

Schwartz Posted in Acupuncture，Tags: , , , , , , ,
21 September 2010
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Acupuncture has been used in East-Asian medicine for thousands of years to treat pain, possibly by activating the body’s natural painkillers. But how it works at the cellular level is largely unknown.

Using brain imaging, a University of Michigan study is the first to provide evidence that traditional Chinese acupuncture affects the brain’s long-term ability to regulate pain.

The results appear online ahead of print in the September Journal of NeuroImage.

In the study, researchers at the U-M Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center showed acupuncture increased the binding availability of mu-opoid receptors (MOR) in regions of the brain that process and dampen pain signals – specifically the cingulate, insula, caudate, thalamus and amygdala.

Opioid painkillers, such as morphine, codeine and other medications, are thought to work by binding to these opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord.

“The increased binding availability of these receptors was associated with reductions in pain,” says Richard E. Harris, Ph.D., researcher at the U-M Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center and a research assistant professor of anesthesiology at the U-M Medical School.

One implication of this research is that patients with chronic pain treated with acupuncture might be more responsive to opioid medications since the receptors seem to have more binding availability, Harris says.

These findings could spur a new direction in the field of acupuncture research following recent controversy over large studies showing that sham acupuncture is as effective as real acupuncture in reducing chronic pain.

“Interestingly both acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups had similar reductions in clinical pain,” Harris says. “But the mechanisms leading to pain relief are distinctly different.”

The study participants included 20 women who had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, for at least a year, and experienced pain at least 50 percent of the time. During the study they agreed not to take any new medications for their fibromyalgia pain.

Patients had position emission tomography, or PET, scans of the brain during the first treatment and then repeated a month later after the eighth treatment.

Source: Eurekalert

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Scientific evidence on the supportive cancer care with Chinese medicine

Schwartz Posted in Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Oncology，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
12 September 2010
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A study was published in the August 2010 issue of the Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer. The author, William Cho, analyzes the clinical evidence of Chinese medicine for support of cancer treatment symptoms. Below is the abstract of the article and a link to the full article follows.

“Complementary and alternative medicine has been increasingly utilized by cancer patients in developed countries. Among the various forms of complementary and alternative medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine is one of the few that has a well constructed theoretical framework and established treatment approaches for diseases including cancer. Recent research has revealed growing evidence suggesting that Traditional Chinese Medicine is effective in the supportive care of cancer patients during and after major conventional cancer treatments. This paper succinctly summarizes some published clinical evidence and meta-analyses which support the usage of various Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment strategies including Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture and Qigong in supportive cancer care.”

Read the full article here.

We specialize in cancer support for patients undergoing cancer treatments such as chemotherapy. We can help with pain, nausea, and emotional support. Please contact us today to schedule a personal consultation with a cancer support acupuncturist.

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Heart Failure Exercise Tolerance

Schwartz Posted in Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine，Tags: , , , , , , ,
05 August 2010
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Acupuncture has shown considerable success in treating joint mobility, and like the recent cancer patient post, another recent study has suggested the same benefit for people suffering from heart failure.

Acupuncture mannikin 080520-7464
Image by Tony Rodd via Flickr

“The new research, just published in the medical journal Heart, involved two groups of heart failure patients who were being treated with conventional medications and were in stable condition. Both groups of research subjects believed they were receiving ten authentic acupuncture treatments. However, only one group was given real acupuncture based on traditional Chinese medicine. These treatments focused on acupuncture points believed to boost general strength, influence the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and reduce inflammation markers. The other control group was treated with special placebo needles that only simulated acupuncture needle pricks but did not break the skin.

The results? After the real acupuncture treatments, the patients could walk far longer than those in the placebo group. What’s more, even though the measurable work capacity of the heart was found to be unchanged, the acupuncture treated heart patients recovered more quickly after exercise and reported they felt far less exhausted.”

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/029377_acupuncture_heart_failure.html

As exercise is very important to health, a non-drug solution is optimal for people wanting to exercise longer without fatigue and shortness of breath. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help prolong your exercise. Please contact us to find out how we can assist you.

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Acupuncture and Infertility: Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Schwartz Posted in Fertility，Tags: , , , , , , ,
16 July 2010
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Acupuncture needle.
Image via Wikipedia

One of the health conditions that can cause infertility in women is pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Women with this condition can have a difficult time conceiving. Acupuncture has been shown to be effective at treating PID. A study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility showed remarkable results.

“Research has demonstrated [acupuncture] to be effective at treating pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), an infection of the pelvic organs that can cause infertility. In severe cases, PID requires a hysterectomy to resolve the problem.

A 1989 study of PID patients looked at who had failed to respond to previous courses of antibiotics for the disease and later had acupuncture and Chinese herbs and compared them with patients currently taking antibiotics.

They found that the group who had acupuncture and Chinese herbs showed improvements in 88.4% of cases and of those, 46% got complete relief from all their symptoms.

The antibiotic group had a 52% improvement rate with only 16% attaining complete relief from all their symptoms.

If you are suffering from PID or are otherwise unable to conceive, please consider acupuncture for your infertility problems. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or if you would like to schedule an appointment for a personal consultation.
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