Holistic Acupuncture that works ...

Common symptoms of knee OA include:

• Loss of motion

• Stiffness

• Joint crepitus (noise)

• Pain and swelling

This condition can be associated with severe loss of function and mobility, as well as a general decline in quality of life. It can also severely inhibit middle-aged

athletes from reaching their potential.

The most common medical intervention is oral anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS). For patients who are unresponsive or decline this treatment, alternative management strategies are available. Acupuncture is one of the most effective therapies for OA.

Acupuncture’s popularity has been further bolstered by the increasing attention it is being paid in the scientific circles. Numerous trials demonstrating its efficacy

have recently been published in major medical journals.

Knee OA has been the topic of three major trials, all of which have shown acupuncture treatments or enhance results when combined with other conventional methods.

In a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture for peripheral

joint arthritis, authors concluded :

Considering its favorable safety profile, acupuncture seems an option worthy of

consideration particularly for knee OA.

The effectiveness of acupuncture has also been reported in trials on low-back pain, and tension-type headaches.

For many people contemplating surgery or stronger prescription medications,

acupuncture could provide sufficient pain relief to allow proper rehabilitation and

strengthening of the knees. This could significantly delay, or eliminate the need

for, invasive surgery that requires lengthy rehabilitation.

In a manual medicine environment, the addition of acupuncture to manual therapy and rehabilitation has the potential to improve patient outcomes for knee OA, and allows patients to maintain active life styles and athletic endeavors.

References:

1-       Vas J et al. acupuncture as complementary therapy to pharmacological treatment of knee OA, randomized

controlled trial, BMJ 2004, 329(7476):1216. Epub 2004 Oct 19.

2-       Acupuncture for peripheral joint OA, a systematic  review & meta-analysis. Rheumatol 2006; 45:1331-1337

3-       Sharf He et al, Acupuncture and knee OA: A three- armed randomized trial. Ann Int Med 2006; 145(1):12-20

4-       Brinkhaus B et al. Acupuncture in patients with chronic low back pain. Arch Int Med 2206; 166:450-457

5-       Melchar D et al. Acupuncture in patients with tension-Type headache: randomized controlled trial.

BMJ 2005; 331: 376-382

6-       Berman BM et al. Effectiveness of acupuncture as adjunctive therapy in knee OA: A randomized controlled

trial. Ann Int Med 2004; 141:901-910

Women undergoing IVF were 65% more likely to become pregnant when they combined the procedure with acupuncture, a recent study has shown.

The remarkable success rate occurred across seven acupuncture trials involving 1,366 women in a systematic review and meta-analysis published in a February, 2008 issue of the British Medical Journal.

Acupuncture was delivered either just before or just after embryo transfer – the moment when the embryo fertilized in the laboratory must attach itself to the wall of the womb to establish a pregnancy.

The research was carried out by scientists from the University of Maryland in America and the VU University Amsterdam in Holland. Researchers claim that because acupuncture costs only about $75 per session compared to $6000 to $10,000 per cycle for IVF, it would be a cost effective, safe and efficient way of boosting success rates in fertility treatment.

It is thought that acupuncture stimulates the neurotransmitters that trigger the production of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, which controls the menstrual cycle and a woman's ovulation.

Acupuncture is also thought to stimulate blood flow to the uterus and boost the production of endogenous opioids, inducing the body to relax.
 
Acupuncture has been used in China for centuries to regulate fertility. It has also been shown to be an effective treatment for chronic pain as well as many common and uncommon disorders.

Source: British Medical Journal, doi:10.1136/bmj.39471.430451.BE (February 2008)

Acupuncture May Help Some Men with Infertility Problems

A study published in the July 2005 issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility found that acupuncture helped infertile men by apparently helping improve sperm quality in their semen.

In the research project, 28 men received acupuncture in addition to traditional infertility treatments, while another 12 men received only the traditional treatments. All of the men were diagnosed with infertility of unknown origin.

The American Journal of Epidemiology recently published

a study that showed that acupuncture can significantly

relieve allergic rhinitis symptoms.

In this German study, 5,237 men and women were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in addition to routine care in patients with allergic rhinitis compared with treatment with routine care alone.

In this trial, patients with allergic rhinitis were randomly allocated to receive acupuncture for a 3 month period or to a control group that received no acupuncture. All patients were allowed to receive usual medical care. The Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) and general health-related quality of life (36-Item Short-Form Health Survey) were evaluated at baseline and after 3 and 6 months.

Improvements were noted at the 3 month and the 6 month evaluation for the patients receiving acupuncture. The authors of this trial concluded that treating patients with allergic rhinitis in routine care with additional acupuncture leads to clinically relevant and persistent benefits.

Over the last few decades research has been carried out seeking to explain how acupuncture works, and what it can and can not treat.

The 1997 National Institute of Health (NIH) consensus of Acupuncture reports “studies have demonstrated that acupuncture can cause multiple biological responses, mediated mainly by sensory neurons to many structures within the central nervous system. This can lead to activation of pathways affecting various physiological systems in the brain as well as in the periphery.”¹

The NIH consensus also suggests that acupuncture “may activate the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, resulting in a broad spectrum of systemic effects. Alteration of neurotransmitters and neurohormones and changes in the regulation of blood flow, both centrally and peripherally have been documented. There is also evidence of alterations in immune functions produced by acupuncture.²

Below are current theories on the mechanism of acupuncture:

1-    Neurotransmitter Theory – Acupuncture affects higher brain areas, stimulating the secretion of beta-endorphins and enkephalins in the brain and spinal cord. The release of neurotransmitters influence the immune system and the anti-nociceptive system.^3,4,5

2-    Autonomic Nervous System Theory – Acupuncture stimulates the release of norepinephrine, acetylcholine, and several types of opiods, affecting changes in their turn-over rate, normalizing the autonomic nervous system and reducing pain.^6,7

3-     Gate Control Theory – Acupuncture activates non-nociceptive receptors that inhibit the transmission of nociceptive signals in the dorsal horn , “gating out” painful stimuli.⁸

4-    Vascular-Interstitial Theory – Acupuncture manipulates the electrical system of the body by creating or enhancing closed circuit transport in tissues. This facilitates healing by allowing the transfer of material and electrical energy between normal and injured tissues.⁹

5-    Blood Chemistry Theory – Acupuncture affects the blood concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol, and phospholipids, suggesting that acupuncture can both raise and diminish peripheral blood components, thereby regulating the body toward homeostasis.¹⁰

1,2-[NIH-national institutes of health consensus conference on acupuncture, program & abstracts(Bethesda, MD, Nov 3-5, 1997)]

3-   [Neuro-acupuncture, Scientific evidence of acupuncture revealed, 2001 Cho, ZH., et al., page 128]

4-   [Acupuncture, A scientific appraisal, Ernst, E., White, A., 1999, page 74]

5-   [Acupuncture Energetics-A clinical approach for physicians, Helms, Dr. J., 1997, page 41-42]

6-   [Anatomy of Neuro-Anatomical Acupuncture, Vol 1, Wond, Dr. J., page 34]

7-   [Han, J.S. Acupuncture activates endogenous systems of analgesia NIH consensus conference on acupuncture (Bethesda, MD, Nov 3-   

      5, 1997)]

8-   [Neuro-acupuncture, Scientific evidence of acupuncture revealed, 2001 Cho, ZH., et al., page 116]

9-   [Acupuncture Energetics-A clinical approach for physicians, Helms, Dr. J., 1997, page 66]

10- [Acupuncture Energetics-A clinical approach for physicians, Helms, Dr. J., 1997, page 41]