EA and COMT Val158Met 2023

Stimulated by Yang et al 2023.[1] Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com.You might expect this sort of character to be Val Val ie homozygous for guanine at codon 158 of the COMT gene. EA – electroacupunctureAA – auricular acupunctureCOMT – catechol-o-methyltransferaseMSK – musculoskeletalBFA – battlefield acupuncture (an AA protocol – See: Ears and the battlefield)rs – … Continue reading EA and COMT Val158Met 2023

EA for OIC

Stimulated by Wang et al 2023.[1] EA protocol used for OIC in Wang et al 2023.[1]Diagram by MC. EA – electroacupunctureOIC – opioid-induced constipationCSFC – chronic severe functional constipation5-HT – 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin)TEAS – TENS applied to acupuncture points (ie TENS)TENS – transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulationSCC – severe chronic constipationCSBM – complete spontaneous bowel movementSBM – … Continue reading EA for OIC

Acupuncture vs massage in cancer pain

Inspired by Romero et al 2022.[1] Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com MSKCC – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterMA – manual acupunctureEA – electroacupunctureBPI – brief pain inventoryIMPACT – Integrative Medicine for Pain in Patients with Advanced Cancer Trial key to acronyms This is a protocol for a large-scale comparative effectiveness trial in a cancer … Continue reading Acupuncture vs massage in cancer pain

Aromatase inhibitors, joint pain and acupuncture 2022

Inspired by Hershman et al JAMA Network Open 2022.[1] AI – aromatase inhibitorBPI – brief pain inventoryBPI-WP – brief pain inventory worst pain key to acronyms When this paper popped up on my searches, I was surprised to find that I had not written about AI-related joint pain since the JAMA paper by the same … Continue reading Aromatase inhibitors, joint pain and acupuncture 2022

EA for CIPN 2022

Inspired by Chan et al 2022.[1] Photo by How-Soon Ngu on Unsplash. EA – electroacupunctureMA – manual acupunctureCIPN – chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathyAiM – Acupuncture in MedicineFACT/GOG-Ntx – Functional Assessment of Chronic illness Therapy (Gynecologic Oncology Group) Neurotoxicity subscaleMSKCC – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center key to acronyms This week we stay on the topic of … Continue reading EA for CIPN 2022

EA for ERAS 2022

Inspired by Wang et al 2022.[1] EA protocol used in Wang et al 2022 (left), and what I would do in the same circumstances (right). EA – electroacupunctureERAS – enhanced recovery after surgeryPOI – postoperative ileusMA – manual acupunctureTEAS – transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (a form of TENS)TTNS – transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (a form … Continue reading EA for ERAS 2022

IM for pain in oncology 2022

Inspired by Mao et al 2022.[1] Photo by Yan Krukov on Pexels.com IM – integrative medicineSIO – Society for Integrative OncologyASCO – American Society of Clinical OncologyMSKCC – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterAI – aromatase inhibitor (eg letrozole – used to suppress endogenous oestrogen production in women with oestrogen sensitive cancers)CIPN – chemotherapy induced peripheral … Continue reading IM for pain in oncology 2022

Acupuncture for CIPN 2022

Inspired by Friedemann et al 2022.[1] CIPN – chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathyNCS – nerve conduction studiesMA – manual acupunctureEA – electroacupunctureSNAP – sensory nerve action potentialSNCV – sensory nerve conduction velocityPROMs – patient reported outcome measuresMYMOP2 – measure yourself medical outcome profile 2 key to acronyms I think I heard one of the authors of this … Continue reading Acupuncture for CIPN 2022

RIX sham and cultural differences 2022

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

MPS in patients with CA 2022

Inspired by Hasuo et al 2021a&b and Ishiki et al 2021.[1–3] Graphic by MC shows characteristic referred pain patterns from the most common trigger points in trapezius on the right and other possible sites of trapezius trigger points on the left. MPS – myofascial pain syndromeCA – cancer (in this case ‘incurable’ cancer) aka ‘the … Continue reading MPS in patients with CA 2022