Acupuncture dysmenorrhoea and depression 2023

Stimulated by Liao et al 2023.[1] Photo by Polina Zimmerman on Pexels.com LGTD – longitudinal generation tracking databaseNHIRD – national health insurance research database (Taiwan)aHR – adjusted hazard ratioIL6 – interleukin 6IL1β – interleukin 1βTNF – tumour necrosis factorALB – albuminVEGFA – vascular endothelial growth factor ACRP – C-reactive proteinPTGS2 – prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthetase 2 (aka … Continue reading Acupuncture dysmenorrhoea and depression 2023 →

STP and the DH 2023

Stimulated by Cathenaut et al 2023.[1] Graphic drawn by MC in the late 90's at the request of AW for a paper in the BMJ.[2] STP – short term plasticityDH – dorsal horn (the sensory horn of the spinal cord)EA – electroacupunctureCirca – approximately (sometimes shortened to c)TRPV1 – transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1GABA … Continue reading STP and the DH 2023 →

LI4 for IUD insertion

Stimulated by Erdoğan and Yardimci 2023.[1] Photo from Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition on Unsplash. IUD – intrauterine deviceRCT – randomised controlled trialVAS – visual analogue scaleAE – adverse eventSR – systematic reviewIVF – invitro fertilisationEiC – editor in chief key to acronyms This is a small RCT from Turkey published in Archives of Gynaecology and … Continue reading LI4 for IUD insertion →

MSAT for MSK pain

Stimulated by a trip to Jaseng, Seoul, for their 4th annual academic conference, and a paper from the founder of Jaseng, published in Pain 10 years ago, Shin et al 2013.[1] MSAT – motion style acupuncture treatmentMSK – musculoskeletalcLBP – chronic low back painUS – ultrasoundTP – transverse processCAT – conventional acupuncture treatmentRCT – randomised … Continue reading MSAT for MSK pain →

Acupuncture for endometriosis pain 2023

Stimulated by Li et al 2023.[1] Figure 2 from Li et al 2023.[1] RCT – randomised controlled trialVAS – visual analogue score key to acronyms This is the second moderately large (n=106) controlled trial of acupuncture in endometriosis. It is a sham controlled trial. The first was a similarly sized (n=101) cross-over trial using acupuncture … Continue reading Acupuncture for endometriosis pain 2023 →

Acupuncture for acute arthritis 2023

Stimulated by Yu and Kim 2023.[1] Figure summarising mechanisms from Yu and Kim 2023.[1] MA – manual acupunctureEA – electroacupunctureSR – systematic reviewPWL – paw withdrawal latencyPWT – paw withdrawal thresholdRoB – risk of biasWMA – Western medical acupunctureNSAIDs – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs key to acronyms I have long pondered on the difference between what … Continue reading Acupuncture for acute arthritis 2023 →

Acup* for ARC 2023

Inspired by Chen C et al 2023 and Chen H-T et al 2023.[1,2] Screen grab from the supplementary video file demonstrating the position of the Qiu point.[1] Acup* – Acupressure or AcupunctureARC – acute renal colicRCT – randomised controlled trialIV – intravenousNSAID – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugBCE – before common era (secular version of BC)CE – … Continue reading Acup* for ARC 2023 →

MTrP needling in GP 2023

Inspired by Yehoshua et al 2023.[1] Needling upper trapezius or GB21 with a subject sitting up and an angle that is tangential to the upper ribcage (from BMAS Points Resource). MTrP – myofascial trigger pointTrP – trigger pointDN – dry needling (mostly MTrP or TrP needling)GP – general practice or general practitioner (whichever is contextually … Continue reading MTrP needling in GP 2023 →

EA after CS 2022

Inspired by Jin et al 2022.[1] EA protocol used in Jin et al 2022 (left), and what I would do in the same circumstances (right). EA – electroacupunctureCS – caesarean sectionNAPC – number of analgesic pump compressionsPCIA – patient controlled intravenous analgesiaIL-6 – interleukin 6 (a proinflammatory cytokine)TAP – tranversus abdominis plane key to acronyms … Continue reading EA after CS 2022 →

Muscle vs fascia in LBP

Inspired by Cozacov et al 2022 and others.[1–3] Photo by Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas on Pexels.com LBP – low back painQL – quadratus lumborumHC – healthy controlUS – ultrasoundNRS – numerical rating scaleLTR – local twitch responseFM – fibromyalgiaOA – osteoarthritisDOMS – delayed onset muscle soreness key to acronyms This is a small but interesting … Continue reading Muscle vs fascia in LBP →