Cerebral Blood Flow Effects of Pain
Newberg AB, et al. Division of Nuclear Medicine, Hospital of
the University of Pennsylvania
Seven patients with chronic pain and five healthy controls
participated in a study that aimed to measure the cerebral blood flow changes
associated with the analgesic effect of acupuncture inpatients with chronic
pain. All single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans were acquired
with a uniform protocol. The patient group was injected with the radioisotope
hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) while experiencing their usual level of
pain. A baseline scan was acquired approximately 20 minutes after administration
of the HMPAO. Afterwards, the patients were treated with acupuncture with
needles placed in points specifically selected to relieve pain. When the pain
improved, as determined by a 10-digit score for pain assessment, the patients
were re-injected with HMPAO and imaged twenty minutes later for the acupuncture
scan. The reference group also had a baseline and acupuncture scan, although the
acupuncture itself was performed using a standardized set of needle points.
The reference group participants were found to have
significant increases in the thalamic and prefrontal cortex activity on the
acupuncture scan compared to the baseline. The baseline scans of the pain
patients showed significant asymmetric uptake in the thalami compared to
controls. This asymmetry reversed or normalized after the acupuncture therapy.
Significant correlations were observed between the change of activity in the
prefrontal cortex and ipsilateral sensorimotor area. The results from these
cases show that HMPAO-SPECT is capable of detecting changes in cerebral blood
flow associated with pain and that acupuncture analgesia is associated with
changes in the activity of the frontal lobes, brain stem, and thalami.
Preventive and Curative Effects of
Acupuncture on the Common Cold
Kawakita K, et al
Japan Acupuncture and Moxibustion Center, 3-44-14 Minami otsuka, Toshima-ku,
Tokyo 170-0005, Japan.
The purpose of this study was to determine the preventive and
curative effects of acupuncture on the symptoms of the common cold. Staff and
students of five Japanese acupuncture schools (326 people), were randomly placed
in two groups: an acupuncture group and a no-treatment control group. A certain
point on the neck was needled bilaterally, gently for 15 seconds until the de qi
sensation was obtained. Treatments were performed four times during the 2-week
experimental period with a 2-week follow-up period. A common cold diary was
scored daily for 4 weeks, and a common cold questionnaire was scored before each
acupuncture treatment and twice at weekly intervals. A reliability test for the
questionnaire was performed on the last day of recording.
The diary score in the acupuncture group tended to decrease
after treatment, but the difference between groups was not significant.
Statistically significantly fewer symptoms were reported in the questionnaire by
the acupuncture group than control group. No severe adverse event was reported.
A significantly positive effect of acupuncture was demonstrated in the summed
questionnaire data, although a highly significant inter-centre difference was
observed. Needling on the neck using the Japanese fine needle manipulating
technique was shown to be effective and safe. It was concluded that using
acupuncture for symptoms of the common cold symptoms should be considered,
although further evidence from placebo controlled RCTs is required.
Acupuncture for the Treatment of Childhood Persistent Allergic Rhinitis
Ng DK, et al. Department of Paediatrics, Kwong Wah Hospital,
25 Waterloo Rd, Kowloon, SAR, Hong Kong.
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was
performed in order to compare acupuncture with sham acupuncture for the
treatment of persistent allergic rhinitis in children. 72 children from
outpatient clinics were placed in randomized groups to receive either regular
acupuncture or sham acupuncture. For eight weeks, 35 patients were randomized to
receive regular acupuncture and 37 patients were randomized to receive sham
acupuncture. Acupuncture was performed twice per week for both groups. The
outcome measures included daily rhinitis scores, symptom-free days, visual
analog scale scores for immediate effects of acupuncture, daily relief
medication scores, blood eosinophil counts, serum IgE levels, nasal eosinophil
counts, patients' and parents' preferences for treatment modalities, and adverse
effects. Both the assessing pediatricians and the patients were blinded. There
were significantly lower daily rhinitis scores and more symptom-free days for
the group receiving regular acupuncture, during both the treatment and the
follow-up periods. The visual analog scale scores for immediate improvement
after acupuncture were also significantly better for the regular acupuncture
group. There was no significant difference in the following outcome measures
between the regular and sham acupuncture groups: daily relief medication scores,
blood eosinophil counts, serum IgE levels, and nasal eosinophil counts, except
for the IgE levels before and 2 months after acupuncture in the sham acupuncture
group. No severe adverse effects were encountered. Numbness, headache, and
dizziness were found in both the regular and sham acupuncture groups, with no
difference in incidence, and the effects were self-limiting.
In conclusion, this study demonstrated that regular
acupuncture was more effective than sham acupuncture in decreasing the symptom
scores for persistent allergic rhinitis and increasing the symptom-free days.
Also, there were no serious adverse effects in this study. A larger study is
essential to confirm the safety of acupuncture for children.
A Study Comparing the Aqueous
Root Extracts of Pueraria thomsonii and Pueraria lobata
Jiang RW, et al. Department of Biochemistry and Institute of
Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, PR China.
A recent study was conducted on the roots of Pueraria
thomsonii and Pueraria lobata. Both are recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia under
the same name Radix Puerariae. The study confirmed, however, that the aqueous
root extract of Pueraria lobata showed more potent antioxidant activity than
that of Pueraria thomsonii. A qualitative HPLC method was developed to compare
the chemical profiles of Pueraria thomsonii and Pueraria lobata, which revealed
four major common peaks (daidzein 1, daidzin 2, puerarin 3 and 5-hydroxypuerarin
4) and two major different peaks (3-hydroxypuerarin 5 and 3'-methoxypuerarin 6)
in their chromatograms. Semi-quantitative analysis showed that the contents of
1-3 in Pueraria lobata are about three, three, and five times higher than those
of Pueraria thomsonii, respectively. The higher levels of isoflavonoids in
Pueraria lobata were thought to be responsible for its more potent antioxidant
activity as compared with that of Pueraria thomsonii. The HPLC method developed
in this study and chemical markers 1-6 can be used for the rapid identification
and evaluation of Radix Puerariae herbs and their aqueous supplements, and the
results of this investigation support the use of Pueraria lobata and Pueraria
thomsonii in the clinic application and as dietary supplement, respectively.
The Cardiotonic Benefits of Hawthorn
Murray, Michael T. Hawthorn: Nature’s cardiotonic. American
Journal of Natural Medicine, September 1995, Vol. 2, No. 7, pp. 10-13. From the
American Botanical Council HerbClip
The fruits and blossoms of the hawthorn species (Crataegus
oxyacantha, C. monogyna, and C. pentagyna) are used medicinally for their
therapeutic effects on the cardiovascular system. Hawthorn contains flavonoids,
particularly anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins, which are believed to be
responsible for its pharmacological activity. Hawthorn’s cardiovascular effects
include improving the blood supply to the heart, improving the heart’s metabolic
processes, and inhibiting the angiotension converting enzyme (ACE). Hawthorn is
used clinically in Europe in the treatment of atherosclerosis, hypertension,
congestive heart failure, and minor arrhythmias. Hawthorn exerts a collagen
stabilizing effect, and may be clinically useful in treating conditions
affecting collagen structure, such as arthritis, periodontal disease,
atherosclerosis, and inflammation.
author reports using hawthorn most often in combination, with magnesium, khella,
and other compounds which work synergistically with hawthorn. For a fairly
comprehensive review of hawthorn, see Christopher Hobbs’ “Hawthorn: A Literature
Review” in HerbalGram #22.
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