Inspired by Gu et al 2025.[1] Photo by 东旭 王 on Unsplash. TENS – transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulationTEAS – transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulationSW-CRT – stepped wedge cluster randomised trialLDU – labour and delivery unitCEQ – childbirth experience questionnaire – key to acronyms This is a large trial from Shanghai evaluating two non-pharmacological approaches to treating … Continue reading Acupressure plus TENS in labour
Inspired by Kawi et al 2025.[1] Vaccaria hispanica seeds from the Government of Canada seed identification site. APA – auricular point acupressurecLBP – chronic low back painIF – impact factorMSK – musculoskeletalNRS – numerical rating scaleRMDQ – Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire – key to acronyms This is a moderately large 3-arm trial (n=272) from the US. … Continue reading APA in cLBP 2025
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
Stimulated by Wu et al 2023.[1] Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com SR – systematic reviewIF – impact factorRCT – randomised controlled trialCBT – cognitive behaviour therapyTHI – tinnitus handicap inventoryPTA – pure tone averagedB – decibel (a logarithmic scale of sound level) key to acronyms Well, I was struggling a bit to find something … Continue reading Acupuncture for tinnitus 2023
Inspired by Yang et al 2022.[1] Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com LBPGP – low back or pelvic girdle pain during pregnancyNICE – National Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceRCTs – randomised controlled trialsQoL – quality of lifeLBP – low back painPGP – pelvic girdle pain key to acronyms I did see this review paper … Continue reading Acupuncture for LBPGP 2022
Inspired by Dai et al 2021.[1] Photo by David Yanutama on Unsplash. NRT – nicotine replacement therapyNMA – network meta-analysiskey to acronyms I wonder how many former smokers have relapsed after that last penalty on Sunday night? I cannot imagine many England football fans resorted to acupuncture after the disappointment of losing on penalties in the Euro … Continue reading Acupuncture vs NRT
Stimulated by Menezes et al 2021.[1] Photo by Craig Cameron on Unsplash. RIX – radiation induced xerostomiaPROM – patient reported outcome measureXI – Xerostomia InventoryXQ – Xerostomia QuestionnaireBAI – Beck Anxiety Inventory key to acronyms I was a bit late to pick up this paper, perhaps because the title is long, and I didn’t really … Continue reading Preventing xerostomia
Stimulated by Mao et al 2021.[1] Visual abstract of PEACE trial from JAMA Oncology EA – electroacupunctureAA – auricular acupunctureUC – usual carePEACE – Personalised EA vs AA Comparative EffectivenessMSK – musculoskeletalMSKCC – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterARC – Acupuncture in Routine CareBFA – battlefield acupunctureBPI – brief pain inventoryVA – The United States Department … Continue reading EA or AA vs UC – the PEACE trial
Stimulated by Li et al 2020,[1] and Yu et al 2020.[2] Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com EA – electroacupuncturePSQI – Pittsburgh Sleep Quality IndexPMI – perimenopausal insomniaMA – manual acupunctureCBT-I – cognitive behaviour therapy for insomniaMSKCC – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CentreISI – Insomnia Severity Indexkey to acronyms I am starting the year with a … Continue reading EA for sleep
Stimulated by an email from a colleague in Australia re Jan et al 2020;[1] plus Cohen et al 2017.[2] Photo by NCI on Unsplash. ED –Emergency DepartmentBFA – BattleField AcupunctureIF – Impact Factorkey to acronyms This week I am focussing on the possible role for acupuncture as a non-pharmacological adjunct or alternative analgesic intervention for … Continue reading Acupuncture in the ED 2020
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