...does it make any difference? Inspired by Liu et al 2022.[1] Some interesting looking structures in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. TePs – tender pointsOA – osteoarthritisOAK – osteoarthritis of the kneeAPs – acupuncture pointsTrPs – trigger pointsEA – electroacupuncturekey to acronyms This is a large clinical trial (n=666) from Chengdu that compares different acupuncture approaches to … Continue reading Needling TePs in OAK
...in two tricky muscles! Inspired by Yi et al & Lee et al 2022.[1,2] Drawing by MC to illustrate the 3 different sets of fibres making up QL (left) and the just the costotransverse fibres (right).Screenshot from the BMAS Point Resource (QL) with QL fibres and their attachments drawn in over the image. SR – … Continue reading Where to needle 2022
Inspired by number 8 in the BMJ acupuncture research series.[1–8] SR – systematic reviewICU – intensive care unitRCT – randomised controlled trialGRADE – Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (a method of grading the quality or ‘certainty’ and strength or ‘effect size’ of evidence inhealthcare)MSK – musculoskeletalES – effect sizeSMD – standardised mean differenceTMJD … Continue reading Evidence mapping 2022
Stimulated by Harwood et al 2022.[1] Photo by Adam Jones on Unsplash. Photo by Olenka Kotyk on Unsplash. LBP – low back painUS – United States of AmericaHCCI – Heath Care Cost InstituteED – emergency departmentEM – emergency medicinekey to acronyms This is very large retrospective observational cohort from the US examining opioid use, other … Continue reading Where to start in LBP
Stimulated by Prinsloo et al 2022.[1] Photo by Adli Wahid on Unsplash. Photo by MJ Tangonan on Unsplash. The photo on the left is from Shanghai and on the right from Austin – the centres involved in the research discussed. RIX – Radiotherapy-Induced XerostomiaXQ – Xerostomia Questionnairekey to acronyms At the end of 2019 a large, 2-centre, 3-arm study was … Continue reading RIX sham and cultural differences 2022
Inspired by Xian et al 2022.[1] Photo by NCI on Unsplash. SR – systematic reviewEA – electroacupunctureRCT – randomised controlled trialAPACHE – acute physiology and chronic health evaluationAPACHE II – a score applied to patients on admission to ICU for risk stratificationICU – intensive care unitMD – mean differenceCI – confidence intervalkey to acronyms I … Continue reading Acupuncture and reduced mortality
Inspired by Lv et al 2022.[1] MC's favourite protocol for prophylaxis of systemic inflammation. Frequencies vary with the device used: Cefar Acus 4 – 2Hz burst; AS Super 4 Digital – 2/15Hz dense dispersed; ITO ES130 – 10Hz. EA – electroacupunctureLPS – lipopolysaccharide (derived from bacterial cell membranes)TNFα – tumour necrosis factor alphaIL-1β – interleukin … Continue reading ST36 EA and T cells in sepsis
Inspired by Li et al 2022.[1] Figure 2 from Lu et al BMJ 2022.[2]Cumulative meta-analysis of the use of acupuncture compared with language rehabilitation for functional communication in patients with post-stroke aphasia. Note that the values of each row are pooled estimates of all the previous trials plus the named trial of that row. PSA … Continue reading Acupuncture for PSA
Inspired by Bandak et al 2022.[1] IA – intra-articularOA – osteoarthritisOAK – OA kneeGLA:D – Good Life with osteoArthritis in DenmarkUS – ultrasoundKOOS – Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome ScoreSMD – standardised mean difference (a measure of effect size used in meta-analyses)EA – electroacupunctureMCID – minimum clinically important differencekey to acronyms I am very grateful … Continue reading Exercise vs IA saline in OAK
Inspired by Joan Gan et al 2021 and Sha et al 2022.[1,2] Joan Gan et al Figure 1.[1] TENS – transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulationEA – electroacupunctureSCEA – smartphone-controlled EA (note this was not a form of EA)key to acronyms I found this paper from last year thanks to a letter written in response, which was … Continue reading Smartphone-controlled TENS
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