PID resorption 2024

Stimulated by Albert et al 2023.[1] Photo by Neonbrand on Unsplash. PID – prolapsed intervertebral discLBP – low back painNSAIDs – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugsSD – standard deviation key to acronyms This paper was published online in mid-December, but I could not access the full text. I wrote to the first author, Hanne Albert, and she kindly sent me … Continue reading PID resorption 2024

Does sham point location matter 2

Stimulated by Lee et al 2023.[1] SR – systematic reviewNMA – network meta-analysisKIOM – Korean Institute of Oriental MedicineSATS – sham acupuncture therapy sham pointSATV – sham acupuncture therapy verum pointIPDM – individual patient data meta-analysisEBM – evidence based medicineSMD – standardised mean differenceCI – confidence interval key to acronyms I guess it was inevitable … Continue reading Does sham point location matter 2

Acupuncture vs massage – IMPACT

Stimulated by Epstein et al 2023.[1] Visual abstract... IMPACT – Integrative Medicine for Pain in Patients with Advanced Cancer TrialMSKCC – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterPEACE – Personalised EA vs AA Comparative EffectivenessMSK – musculoskeletalRCT – randomised controlled trialBPI – short form brief pain inventory key to acronyms This trial was based at MSKCC and … Continue reading Acupuncture vs massage – IMPACT

Acupuncture for severe hip OA 2023

Stimulated by Astini & Riberto 2023.[1] OA hip protocols – the protocol from Astini & Riberto 2023 is on the left. On the right is the periosteal protocol currently taught by the BMAS. There is a video demonstration in a previous blog: Periosteal techniques 1963-2018. OA – osteoarthritisVAS – visual analogue scoreWOMAC – Western Ontario … Continue reading Acupuncture for severe hip OA 2023

Post cholecystectomy pain

Stimulated by Lee et al 2023.[1] Photo by Jonny Goerend on Unsplash, with the cover of SJPAIN superimposed in the bottom right. PCP – post cholecystectomy painCABG – coronary artery bypass graftAMPS – abdominal myofascial pain syndromeTPI – trigger point injectionPRF – pulsed radiofrequencyUS – ultrasoundLA – local anaestheticNRS – numerical rating scaleEA – electroacupuncture … Continue reading Post cholecystectomy pain

Is FM an autoimmune disease?

Stimulated by Clauw et al 2023 and Cho et al 2023.[1,2] Photo by Cameron Venti on Unsplash. FM – fibromyalgiaIF – impact factorSGC – satellite glial cellDRG – dorsal root ganglionMSK – musculoskeletalHR – hazard ratioaHR – adjusted hazard ratio key to acronyms I was curious to see this debate on FM published in Autoimmune … Continue reading Is FM an autoimmune disease?

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 FM 2023

Stimulated by Di Carlo et al 2023 and Treister-Goltzman et al 2023.[1,2] Photo by Mattia Golinucci on Unsplash. An ancient church in a cave, il tempio del valadier, the valadier's temple in Ancona. Di Carlo et al are from the same region of Italy. FM – fibromyalgiaMA – manual acupunctureBMI – body mass indexFIQR – … Continue reading Acupuncture for FM 2023

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

Acupuncture for comorbid pain and depression 2023

Stimulated by Liao et al 2023.[1] MDD – major depressive disorderWMA – Western medical acupunctureTCM – traditional Chinese medicineBPI – brief pain inventoryRCT – 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 in healthcare)ES – effect sizeHAM-D … Continue reading Acupuncture for comorbid pain and depression 2023