Stimulated by DeBar et al 2025.[1] Photo of Multnomah Falls in Oregan by Makayla Asuncion from Pexels. cLBP – chronic low back painIF – impact factorEA – enhanced acupuncture (rather confusing I’m afraid)SA – standard electroacupunctureUMC – usual medical careRMDQ – Roland-Morris Disability QuestionnaireMCID – minimal clinically important differencePEG – pain, enjoyment, and general activity … Continue reading Acupuncture for cLBP 2025
Stimulated by Li et al 2025.[1] Photo by Matthew Zheng on Pexels.com EA – electroacupunctureIF – impact factorAPC – article publishing charge (cost to the authors or their institution for publishing a paper)SEA – sham electroacupunctureWL – waiting listNPQ – Northwick Park neck pain questionnaireMCID – minimal clinically important differenceSF-MPQ – short form McGill pain … Continue reading EA for chronic neck pain 2025
Stimulated by Sun et al 2025.[1] Photo by Tom fly on Pexels.com MwoA – migraine without auraIF – impact factorRCT – randomised controlled trialHIT-6 – headache impact test 6MSQ – migraine specific questionnaireCGRP – calcitonin gene-related peptideRR50 – responder rate 50 (a 50% or more reduction in the relevant metric)VAS – visual analogue scale – … Continue reading Acupuncture for MwoA 2025
Stimulated by Wang et al 2025.[1] Photo by Gildo Cancelli on Pexels.com ACSEH – acute cervical spinal epidural haematomapaACSEH – post-acupuncture ACSEHSEH – spinal epidural haematomaIF – impact factorrTPA – recombinant tissue plasminogen activator – key to acronyms I thought this was going to be another first for the blog – a paACSEH mimicking a … Continue reading Post-acupuncture ACSEH
Stimulated by Gyeltshen et al 2025.[1] Photo by Pema Gyamtsho on Pexels.com IF – impact factorEiC – editor in chiefSLR – straight leg raising (the most famous test for sciatica, but not a terribly good one) – key to acronyms This is a somewhat smaller trial (n=70) than the last one I highlighted on sciatic … Continue reading Acupuncture vs gabapentin for sciatica in Bhutan
Stimulated by Dong et al 2025.[1] Graphical abstract from Dong et al 2025.[1] EA – electroacupunctureGI – gastrointestinal function (but mainly gastric here)IF – impact factorDMV – dorsal motor nucleus of the vagusChAT – choline O-acetyltransferaseGECI – genetically encoded calcium indicatorGCaMP6s – a fusion protein combining a fluorescent reporter, a calcium binding protein, and a … Continue reading EA and GI function 2025
Stimulated by Yu et al 2025.[1] Photo by Matthew Zheng on Pexels.com EA – electroacupunctureS-AGI – sepsis-induced acute gastrointestinal injuryICU – intensive care unitIF – impact factorPSM – propensity score matchingHR – hazard ratioAPACHE – acute physiology and chronic health evaluationAPACHE-II – a score applied to patients on admission to ICU for risk stratificationTCM – … Continue reading EA for S-AGI
Stimulated by Gu et al 2025.[1] Photo by Freeman Zhou on Unsplash – Shanghai, China. EA – electroacupuncturePD – Parkinson’s diseaseNMS – non-motor symptomsMA – manual acupunctureIF – impact factorPDSS – Parkinson’s disease sleep scaleREM – rapid eye movement sleepRBD – REM sleep behaviour disorderRLS – restless legs syndromeSDB – sleep disordered breathingEDS – excessive … Continue reading EA for insomnia in PD
Stimulated by Xu et al 2025.[1] Photo by Lee Jason on Pexels.com PSD – post-stroke dysphagiaRCT – randomised controlled trialMA – manual acupunctureIF – impact factorWST – water swallowing test (30ml of water)CRT – conventional rehabilitation trainingSSA – standardised swallowing assessmentMMASA – modified Mann assessment of swallowing ability5-HT – 5-hydroxytriptamine (aka serotonin)SWAL-QoL – swallowing quality of … Continue reading Acupuncture for PSD 2 2025
Stimulated by Zhang et al 2025.[1] Photo by Kent Zhong on Pexels.com.Aerial View of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in China. PSD – post-stroke dysphagiaRCT – randomised controlled trialMA – manual acupunctureSRT – swallowing rehabilitation trainingIF – impact factorc – circa (from Latin and written before a number to mean it is an approximation)WST … Continue reading Acupuncture for PSD 2025
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