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Research Archive

Welcome to our Chinese medicine and acupuncture research news pages. We add to the content of these pages continuously as more research news comes in. Browse through the complete archive below or use the category links on the right.

Please note that the most twenty recent research archive items are free to view but access to the thousands of items in the archive require a journal subscription.

ACUPUNCTURE & VULVAR VESTIBULITIS

Categories: Gynaecology, Kidney / Urinary disorders

Vulvar vestibulitis is a disease of unknown aetiology involving inflammation of the skin and the mucous secreting glands found in the skin of the vulvar vestibule. It can occur in women of all ages, whether sexually active or not, can persist for years, and gives rise to symptoms such as severe pain on pressure (for example cycling, exercise or tight fitting clothes), intercourse or insertion of t ...

ACUPUNCTURE & POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

Categories: Gynaecology

24 women with polycystic ovarian syndrome who had amenorrhoea or oligomenorrhoea, 19 or whom were resistant to clomiphene, were given 10-14 mostly electro-acupuncture treatments at points Shenshu BL-23, Pangguangshu BL-28, Sanyinjiao SP-6, Yinlingquan SP-9, Neiguan P-6, Waiguan SJ-5 and Baihui DU-20. 9 women, , 7 of whom were clomiphene resistant, showed a significant rise in rate of ovulation. (A ...

HERBAL MEDICINES FOR DYSMENORRHOEA

Categories: Gynaecology

In a Japanese study, two herbal medicine prescriptions administered alternately within the menstrual cycle were found to have powerful antidysmenorrhoeic effects. The two prescriptions were Shakuyaku-kanzo-to (Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang/Peony & Licorice Decoction) and Toki-shakuyaku-san (Dang Gui Shao Yao San/Tangkuei and Peony powder). All 17 dysmenorrhea patients in the study, including recurrent ...

ORIENTAL HERBAL MEDICINE FOR MENOPAUSE

Categories: Gynaecology, Menopausal syndrome

A Japanese study compared the use of traditional Kampo herbal formulas and HRT, in two groups of women suffering menopausal symptoms. In the 18 patients in the Kampo group, treatment was able to alleviate the whole range of symptoms, whilst in the 16 women in the HRT group, symptoms such as cold limbs, sleeping disorders, shoulder stiffness/lumbago, and fatigue, were unaffected. In addition, the s ...

ACUPUNCTURE FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS

Categories: Gynaecology, Menopausal syndrome

In a randomised study, women suffering menopausal symptoms were treated either with acupuncture points specifically chosen to treat their disorder, or more general qi tonifying acupuncture. The acupuncture specific group showed a decrease in mean monthly hot flush severity whilst the comparison acupuncture treatment group showed no significant changes. Sleep disturbances in the point specific acup ...

ACUPRESSURE & DYSMENORRHOEA

Categories: Gynaecology

In a study which compared acupressure at Sanyinjiao SP-6 with simple resting for female technical college students in Taiwan suffering from dysmenorrhoea, the acupressure "whether in the form of treatment or self-treatment" was found to significantly reduce pain. (J Adv Nurs. 2004 Nov; 48(4):380-7)

ACUPUNCTURE & ENDOMETRIAL PAIN

Categories: Gynaecology

A study of 101 women (aged 20 to 40), of whom 83 completed the trial, with laparoscopic-proofed endometriosis, randomised them to one of two groups. The first received specific acupuncture for the condition while the other were treated at non-specific points (points with no relation to the diagnosis). Treatment was given twice weekly for ten weeks. After a two month interval, the two groups change ...

ACUPUNCTURE & HOT FLUSHES

Categories: Gynaecology, Menopausal syndrome

In a study of 29 postmenopausal women who experienced at least seven moderate to severe hot flushes a day, active acupuncture was found to significantly decrease the severity of nocturnal flushes (by 28%) compared to 6% in women given sham acupuncture. The frequency of flushes was reduced by more in the active treatment group compared to the sham but not significantly so. (A randomized controlled ...

ACUPUNCTURE COST-EFFECTIVE FOR PERIOD PAIN

Categories: Gynaecology

A pragmatic randomised study has evaluated the clinical and economic effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of women with dysmenorrhoea. 201 patients were allocated to receive either up to 15 acupuncture sessions over three months or no acupuncture. Both groups additionally received usual medical care. Outcome measures of pain intensity and quality of life were recorded at baseline and afte ...

ACUPUNCTURE REDUCES HOT FLUSH SEVERITY

Categories: Gynaecology, Menopausal syndrome

Acupuncture is associated with a significant decrease in the severity, but not the frequency, of postmenopausal hot flushes. In a randomised, placebo-controlled pilot study, 29 postmenopausal women averaging at least seven moderate to severe hot flushes per 24 hours, were randomised to receive seven weeks (nine treatment sessions) of either active acupuncture (standardised, individually-tailored p ...

ACUPUNCTURE 'AS GOOD AS HRT' AFTER OOPHORECTOMY

Categories: Gynaecology, Menopausal syndrome

Acupuncture results in a significant improvement in perimenopausal symptoms in women who have had their ovaries surgically removed (oophorectomy). Sixty-seven women who had undergone oophorectomy were non-randomly divided into two groups. One group was given acupuncture and the comparison group was given usual medical care (HRT drug Livial - a combination of synthetic oestrogen, progesterone and a ...

CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE BETTER THAN DRUGS FOR DYSMENORRHOEA

Categories: Gynaecology

The evidence supporting the use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for primary dysmenorrhoea is promising, but better quality research on the subject is still required. These are the conclusions of a systematic review by Australian researchers, which included 39 RCTs involving a total of 3475 women. CHM was found to result in significant improvements in pain relief, overall symptoms and use of addit ...

ACUPUNCTURE FOR POLYCYSTIC OVARIES

Categories: Gynaecology

A review article has evaluated the use of acupuncture to prevent and reduce symptoms related with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Reporting on experimental observations in rat models of polycystic ovaries and clinical data from studies in women with PCOS, the Swedish authors suggest that acupuncture can affect PCOS via modulation of the neuroendocrine system (in particular the sympathetic nervou ...

ACUPUNCTURE COST-EFFECTIVE FOR DYSMENORRHOEA

Categories: Gynaecology

In another German study, the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with dysmenorrhoea was studied. In a randomised controlled trial plus non-randomised cohort, patients with dysmenorrhoea were randomised to 15 sessions of acupuncture over three months or to a control group (no acupuncture). All subjects were allowed to receive usual medical care. Of 649 women, 20 ...

ACUPUNCTURE FOR PAINKILLER-RESISTANT PERIOD PAIN

Categories: Gynaecology

Italian scientists have evaluated the effect of acupuncture on dysmenorrhoea that is resistant to treatment by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Fifteen patients received eight weekly acupuncture treatments (at Taixi KID-3, Taichong LIV-3, Gongsun SP-4, Zusanli ST-36, Tianshu ST-25, Guilai ST-29, Qichong ST-30, Guanyuan REN-4, Qihai REN-6, Shenmai BL-62, Shenmen HT-7, Hegu LI-4, Neig ...

JAPANESE-STYLE ACUPUNCTURE FOR ADOLESCENT ENDOMETRIOSIS PAIN

Categories: Gynaecology

A US randomised, sham-controlled pilot study has assessed the use of Japanese-style acupuncture for reducing chronic pelvic pain and improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adolescents with endometriosis. Eighteen young women (13-22 years) with laparoscopically-diagnosed endometriosis-related chronic pelvic pain were treated with either Japanese style acupuncture or sham acupuncture. P ...

ELECTRO-ACUPUNCTURE FOR PCOS

Categories: Gynaecology

Acupuncture can lower high sympathetic nerve activity, which may be a contributory factor in the aetiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A Swedish team, which has previously found that women with PCOS have significantly higher sympathetic nerve activity than controls, investigated the effect of low-frequency electroacupuncture (EA) and physical exercise on the sympathetic activity of a musc ...

CHINESE HERBS COMPARABLE TO HORMONES FOR ENDOMETRIOSIS

Categories: Gynaecology

UK authors have carried out a systematic review of the use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for endometriosis-related pain and infertility. Database searches revealed 100 relevant studies, but only two Chinese RCTs were deemed of high enough quality for analysis. Meta-analysis of the pooled results involving a total of 158 women concluded that administration of CHM after laparoscopic surgery for e ...

ACUPUNCTURE DECREASES POST-CAESARIAN PAIN

Categories: Gynaecology

A Chinese study has shown that acupuncture at Sanyinjiao SP-6 can decrease the amount of analgesia required in the first 24 hours after caesarian section. Sixty women who had spinal anesthesia during caesarian section were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture or electro-acupuncture at bilateral Sanyinjiao SP-6, or to a control group. Women in the acupuncture and electro-acupuncture grou ...

ACUPRESSURE DECREASES PAIN AND DURATION OF LABOUR

Categories: Gynaecology

Iranian clinicians have found that acupressure at Sanyinjiao SP-6 can decrease the duration and severity of pain in the active phase of labour, lower the requirement for oxytocin and reduce the need for caesarean section. One hundred and twenty nulliparous women at the beginning of the active phase of labour were randomised to receive either acupressure at Sanyinjiao SP-6 for 30 minutes during con ...