The Power of Placebo and MUI

Stimulated by Power et al 2020,[1] and Kang et al 2020.[2] Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Placebo figured heavily in last week’s blog, so I could not overlook this paper when it appeared on PubMed at the end of the same week. The first author has a remarkably suitable name on a paper that tests … Continue reading The Power of Placebo and MUI →

Frequency of Rx in OAK

Stimulated by Lin et al 2020.[1] Image from HVAC photoshoot 2012.[2] This paper caught my eye for two reasons. First because the title implied the results might be useful for clinical practice, and second because it was an acupuncture trial published in the journal Pain, a journal that does not publish acupuncture trials very often. … Continue reading Frequency of Rx in OAK →

Adrenaline Athletes and Acupuncture

Stimulated by Arriaga-Pizano et al 2020.[1] Image by Cesar Marquez on Unsplash. This paper was published online on 20th May, and it took me a while before I had a closer look and discovered that it is really quite unique. It was a subsequent paper published a week later, a systematic review of acupuncture in low back pain … Continue reading Adrenaline Athletes and Acupuncture →

Risk of mortality 2020

Stimulated by Lin et al 2020,[1] Park et al 2020,[2] and Khan et al 2019.[3] Shifen Waterfalls, Shifen, Taiwan. Image by Vernon Raineil Cenzon on Unsplash, modified by MC in Lightroom. What is the risk of mortality associated with acupuncture? Well, it depends on the context of course, and I am using this title to draw together a … Continue reading Risk of mortality 2020 →

Round acupuncture 2020

Stimulated by Kim et al,[1] and Lu et al.[2] Round acupuncture for CTS. No sooner than I have blogged about acupotomy for the first time (last week), than another novel related technique is reported. The first paper I am highlighting is a case report of the use of round acupuncture in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). … Continue reading Round acupuncture 2020 →

COVID-19

Stimulated by a pandemic! This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome … Continue reading COVID-19 →

CIPN 2020 plus FFP & FWB

Stimulated by Bao et al 2020,[1] and a few others. Image from the pre-digital era.This is yours truly after a dip in the Gulf of Mexico, somewhere close to Fort Walton Beach (FWB) in January 1990. I imagine my peripheries were a bit tingly for a few minutes. Thus, with one old image I am … Continue reading CIPN 2020 plus FFP & FWB →

Should I read a protocol?

Stimulated by Huang et al 2020.[1] Image by Kai Dahms on Unsplash. This is the first BMAS blog that highlights a protocol, rather than the results of research. I rarely read protocols! If it looks like a big study or I know the team, I might have a quick look at the abstract. Protocols really … Continue reading Should I read a protocol? →