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.

The effect of electroacustimulation on postoperative nausea, vomiting, and pain in outpatient plastic surgery patients: a prospective, randomized, blinded, clinical trial.

Larson JD, Gutowski KA, Marcus BC, Rao VK, Avery PG, Stacey DH, Yang RZ

Madison, Wis.; and Chicago, Ill. From the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics and NorthShore University HealthSystem.

BACKGROUND:: Current rates of postoperative nausea and vomiting experienced by outpatient surgery patients are as high as 20 to 30 percent. Electroacustimulation therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in controlling these symptoms, but trials identifying its efficacy in the outpatient surgery population are lacking. METHODS:: One hundred twenty-two patients undergoing surgical procedures at an outpatient surgery center were randomized to two treatment arms. The first arm received the standardized pharmacologic postoperative nausea and vomiting prevention typical for patients undergoing outpatient surgery, whereas in the second arm, the ReliefBand and pharmacologic measures were used. The ReliefBand is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved electroacustimulation device. Electroacustimulation is a derivative of acupuncture therapy that uses a small electrical current to stimulate acupuncture points on the human body and is thought to relieve nausea, vomiting, and pain. Outcomes measured were pain and nausea symptoms, emetic events, the need for rescue medications, and the time to discharge. RESULTS:: The electroacustimulation arm reported statistically significant lower nausea scores at 30 minutes and 120 minutes postoperatively (p < 0.05). In addition, subgroup analysis demonstrated significant findings in favor of the experimental group, with anatomical subsets of surgical patients requiring less pain medication and shorter times from surgery to discharge when compared with the standard treatment. However, electroacustimulation did not have a significant effect on the amount of pain experienced by patients in any group. CONCLUSION:: The authors' study demonstrates that electroacustimulation offers added protection against symptoms of postoperative nausea and vomiting in an outpatient cosmetic surgery population, representing a safe and cost-effective addition to current pharmacologic preventive measures.

Published 2 March 2010 in Plast Reconstr Surg, 125(3): 989-94.
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Articles on Acupuncture published 2 March 2010:

A New Bioimpedance Research Device (BIRD) for Measuring the Electrical Impedance of Acupuncture Meridians.   J Altern Complement Med, 16(3): 257-64.

Abstract Objectives: The aim of this article is to introduce an electrical bioimpedance device that uses an old and little-known impedance measuring technique to study the impedance of the meridian and nonmeridian tissue segments. Design: Three (3) pilot experimental studies involving both a tissue phantom (a cucumber) and 3 human subjects were performed using this BIRD-I (Bioimpedance Research Device) device. This device consists of a Fluke RCL meter, a multiplexer box, a laptop computer, and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Alternative medical interventions used in the treatment and management of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.   J Altern Complement Med, 16(3): 235-49.

Abstract Background: There have been several systematic reviews attempting to evaluate the efficacy of possible treatments for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM). However, information regarding the efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has not been comprehensively or systematically covered in these reviews, despite its frequent use in the patient community. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to systematically review and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Acupuncture published 1 March 2010:

Choice of treatment modalities was not influenced by pain, severity or co-morbidity in patients with knee osteoarthritis.   Physiother Res Int, 15(1): 16-23.

Background and Purpose. Patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) are commonly treated by physiotherapists in primary care. The physiotherapists use different treatment modalities. In a previous study, we identified variation in the use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), low level laser or acupuncture, massage and weight reduction advice for patients with knee OA. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that might explain variation in treatment modalities for patients ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Multifunctional Merkel cells: Their roles in electromagnetic reception, finger-print formation, Reiki, epigenetic inheritance and hair form.   Med Hypotheses.

Merkel cells are located in glabrous and hairy skin and in some mucosa. They are characterized by dense-core secretory granules and cytoskeletal filaments. They are attached to neighboring keratinocytes by desmosomes and contain melanosomes similar to keratinocytes. They are excitable cells in close contact with sensory nerve endings but their function is still unclear. In this review, following roles are attributed for the first time to the Merkel cells: (1) melanosomes in Merkel cells may be ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Acupuncture in Primary Care.   Prim Care, 37(1): 105-117.

Acupuncture, an ancient traditional Chinese medical therapy, is used widely around the world. When practiced by a certified provider, it is safe and patients often find it calming and relaxing. Animal and human studies have found a physiologic basis for acupuncture needling in that it affects the complex central and peripheral neurohormonal network. Although it is unclear whether acupuncture is beneficial over sham/placebo acupuncture, acupuncture care yields clinically relevant short- and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine: The Mechanism and Management of Acupuncture for Chronic Pain.   Top Companion Anim Med, 25(1): 53-58.

Complementary and alternative medicine can be defined as the diagnosis, treatment, and/or prevention that complements mainstream medicine, satisfying a demand not met by orthodoxy and diversifying the conceptual framework of medicine. Acupuncture is being used much more commonly now as a sole or integrative modality in veterinary medicine and can play a large role in management of inflammation and chronic pain. Western medical etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment should be ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Acupuncture published 26 February 2010:

Effect of acupressure on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in gynecologic cancer patients in Turkey.   Eur J Oncol Nurs, 14(1): 49-54.

PURPOSE: The aim of the current study was to assess the effect of acupressure applied to the pericardium 6 (P6 or Neiguan) acupuncture point with a wristband (Sea-Band) on nausea-vomiting in addition to the standard antiemetic medications used to prevent nausea-vomiting due to chemotherapy in gynecologic cancer patients. METHOD: In this prospective research we used pre- and posttests. The study consisted of 34 patients with gynecologic cancer. RESULTS: We found a significant decrease in the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhoea: a systematic review.   BJOG.

Please cite this paper as: Cho S-H, Hwang E-W. Acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhoea: a systematic review. BJOG 2010; DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02489.x. Background The effectiveness of acupuncture in primary dysmenorrhoea is not fully understood. Objectives To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture for the symptomatic treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea from randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Search strategy Nineteen electronic databases, including English, Korean, Japanese and Chinese ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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