Acupuncture Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Acupuncture, including details on alternative medicine, uses, benefits, treatment, chinese medicine.

Acupuncture-associated Listeria monocytogenes arthritis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

Tien CH, Huang GS, Chang CC, Chang DM, Lai JH

Division of Rheumatology/Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, No. 325, Section 2, Cheng-Kung Road, Neihu 114, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.

Septic arthritis is a rare complication of acupuncture. We present a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who developed septic arthritis of the right knee after consecutive weekly sessions of acupuncture therapy for 3 weeks. The infection was localized by musculoskeletal sonography and magnetic resonance imaging, with culture of the synovial fluid aspirated from the joint yielding Listeria monocytogenes. The patient responded well to antibiotic treatment and regained joint mobility. A high index of suspicion for an infectious process is required for prompt diagnosis and treatment of acupuncture-induced joint infections in rheumatoid arthritis patients who might have additional risk factors for infection.

Published 5 May 2008 in Joint Bone Spine.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Acupuncture published 5 May 2008:

Components of placebo effect: randomised controlled trial in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.   BMJ, 336(7651): 999-1003.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether placebo effects can experimentally be separated into the response to three components-assessment and observation, a therapeutic ritual (placebo treatment), and a supportive patient-practitioner relationship-and then progressively combined to produce incremental clinical improvement in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. To assess the relative magnitude of these components. DESIGN: A six week single blind three arm randomised controlled trial. SETTING: ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of bipolar disorder - A review of the evidence.   J Affect Disord.

A growing number of patients with mood disorders are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) interventions. In this paper, we review the published scientific evidence on the benefits and risks of CAM for the treatment of patients with bipolar disorder. Since very few studies of CAM have involved patients with bipolar disorder, most available evidence is derived from trials conducted in patients with major depressive disorder. The use of omega-3 fatty acids has been studied in two ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

A preliminary neutron crystallographic study of thaumatin.   Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun, 64: 378-81.

A preliminary neutron crystallographic study of the sweet protein thaumatin is presented. Large hydrogenated crystals were prepared in deuterated crystallization buffer using the gel-acupuncture method. Data were collected to a resolution of 2 A on the LADI-III diffractometer at the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL). The results demonstrate the feasibility of a full neutron crystallographic analysis of this structure aimed at providing relevant information on the location of H atoms, the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Acupuncture published 2 May 2008:

The Effect of Acupuncture Duration on Analgesia and Peripheral Sensory Thresholds.   BMC Complement Altern Med, 8(1): 18.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Acupuncture provides a means of peripheral stimulation for pain relief. However, the detailed neuronal mechanisms by which acupuncture relieves pain are still poorly understood and information regarding optimal treatment settings is still inadequate. Previous studies with a short burst of unilateral electroacupuncture (EA)in the Tendinomuscular Meridians (TMM) treatment model for pain demonstrated a transient dermatomally correlated bilateral analgesic effect with ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Acupuncture induced necrotizing aortitis with infected pseudoaneurysm formation.   Yonsei Med J, 49(2): 322-4.

Necrotizing aortitis is a rare and life-threatening complication of local or generalized bacterial infections and most commonly affects the abdominal aorta. We described a case of a 79-year-old man with an acupuncture-induced bacterial aortitis associated with pseudoaneurysm formation causing near rupture. The patient underwent emergent explolapartomy, resection of the infected aorta, wide debridement of surrounding infected tissues, and extra-anatomic axillary to bifemoral graft bypass. The ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Use of Complementary and Alternative Therapies by Overweight and Obese Adults.   Obesity (Silver Spring).

Objective:Obesity is associated with higher health-care costs due, in part, to higher use of traditional health care. Few data are available on the relationship between obesity and the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).Methods and Procedures:We analyzed data on CAM use from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Alternative Medicine Supplement (n = 31,044). We compared the use of CAM overall, within the past 12 months, between normal weight (BMI from 18 to <25), ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Acupuncture published 1 May 2008:

Research Scholars Program: A Faculty Development Initiative at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine.   J Altern Complement Med.

ABSTRACT Background: The Research Scholars Program (RSP) was created at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) to provide faculty development in research literacy, research-informed clinical practice, and research participation skills. The RSP is part of a broad effort, funded by a National Institutes of Health/National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine R25 education grant, to infuse an evidence-based perspective into the curriculum at schools of complementary and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Acupuncture published 30 April 2008:

A follow-up study of subjective symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in patients who received acupuncture and/or interocclusal appliance therapy 18-20 years earlier.   Acta Odontol Scand, 66(2): 88-92.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presence of symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in patients referred to a specialist clinic because of muscular problems 18-20 years earlier and who had received mainly acupuncture and/or interocclusal appliance therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-five subjects who had received therapy at a TMD specialist clinic 18-20 years earlier were mailed a questionnaire with questions about TMD symptoms, their attitude towards the therapy, and their opinion about the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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