Category: Acupuncture Research & Miscellaneous Conditions

In the largest randomised trial of acupuncture for allergic asthma to date, German researchers have shown that adding acupuncture to standard care, is associated with improved quality of life compared with standard care alone. A total of 1445 patients (mean age 44) were randomly allocated to receive either routine care or routine care plus up to 15 acupuncture treatments over three months. The overall study comprised three months of treatment plus three months of follow-up.

Acupuncture was associated with a clinically significant improvement in asthma-related quality of life, as well as general mental and physical health. These improvements persisted to at least the end of the six month study period.

(Acupuncture in Patients with Allergic Asthma: A Randomized Pragmatic Trial. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, April 2017.)

A systematic review by a joint American and Chinese team, suggests acupuncture could benefit arrhythmias. The most common example is atrial fibrillation but others were covered in this review. They studied 13 trials, involving nearly 800 patients, and found that:
1) for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, there was no statistically significant difference between acupuncture and conventional treatment ie acupuncture was just as effective;
2) for ventricular premature beat, there was a significant benefit when acupuncture was added to oral administration of anti-arrhythmic drugs compared with the administration of drugs alone;
3) for sinus tachycardia without any other treatment, acupuncture was of benefit.

Some studies were of poor design, so the evidence in favour of acupuncture was not strong, but the authors recommend more rigorous trials so that a proper evaluation of acupuncture can be made.

(Comparative Effectiveness of Acupuncture and Antiarrhythmic Drugs for the Prevention of Cardiac Arrhythmias: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Frontiers in Physiology, 8 June 2017.)

Researchers have found that acupuncture can be used as an adjunctive therapy to reduce breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A total of 72 patients with COPD, mean age 67, were randomised to receive either real or sham control acupuncture in thirty minute sessions three times per week for eight weeks. Acupuncture was given in addition to patients’ usual daily medication.

At the end of the trial, six-minute walking distance and health-related quality of life measures had all improved significantly more in the acupuncture group compared with the sham group.

(Acupuncture for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): A multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial. Medicine (Baltimore), October 2016.)

A study by hospital and university researchers in Londrina, Brazil has shown scalp electro-acupuncture can reduce tinnitus intensity by half, and improve quality of life for affected individuals. Fifty subjects, aged 50 to 85, were randomised to receive either acupuncture or no treatment. Those in the treatment group received electro-acupuncture on the vestibulocochlear scalp line, two times a week for five weeks. The results showed a reduction in tinnitus intensity of 50% in the treatment group, and no change in the control group. Acupuncture was also associated with a decrease in the influence of tinnitus on quality of life, from a classification of “severe interference” to “mild interference”. Again there was no change in the control group.

The team concludes that the significant levels of improvement justify the use of acupuncture. Their study shows that the technique is safe and does not cause any side effects for patients. However, more studies are required to establish other possible effects of Chinese scalp acupuncture on the auditory system.

(Effectiveness of acupuncture therapy as treatment for tinnitus: a randomized controlled trial. Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, July-August 2016.)

Researchers funded by the US Government’s Gulf War Illness Research Program, have concluded that individualized acupuncture treatment can offer significant relief to veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI). GWI is a complex and poorly understood condition, characterised by multiple symptoms including fatigue, musculoskeletal pain and sleep and mood disturbances.

A total of 104 veterans diagnosed with the illness were randomised to receive either biweekly acupuncture for 6 months, or 2 months on a waiting list followed by weekly acupuncture for 4 months. Treatment was provided by experienced practitioners close to where the veterans worked and lived, and it was individualised to the patient, with the inclusion as required of standard additional techniques such as Chinese massage.

By month 6, greater clinically significant improvements in physical symptoms and pain scores, were seen in the biweekly acupuncture group. The researchers say that their study supports the use of individualized acupuncture treatments for the management of GWI symptoms, and that acupuncture treatment may be an effective, safe, low-cost treatment option for returning military as well as civilian populations impacted by chronic multi-symptom illness. Participants reported high usability of acupuncture, with 96% of them reporting confidence in recommending acupuncture to a friend or family member.

(The Effectiveness of Individualized Acupuncture Protocols in the Treatment of Gulf War Illness: A Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial. PLoS One 31 March 2016.)