Acupuncture and BCG 2024

Stimulated by Psutka et al 2024.[1] BCG – Bacillus Calmette-GuérinTB – tuberculosisIF – impact factorNMIBC – non-muscle-invasive bladder cancerEA – electroacupunctureUTI – urinary tract infectionPROMs – patient-reported outcome measures – key to acronyms The title of this paper captured my attention because a colleague had undergone BCG instillation into the bladder to treat bladder cancer … Continue reading Acupuncture and BCG 2024

Acupuncture for SCD 2024

Stimulated by Wang et al 2024.[1] SCD – subjective cognitive declineIF – impact factorSCDQ – subjective cognitive decline questionnaireMMSE – mini mental state examinationMCI – mild cognitive impairmentAD – Alzheimer’s diseaseEA – electroacupunctureAVLT – auditory verbal learning testTMT – trail making testAFT – animal fluency testBNT – Boston naming testSCWT – Stroop colour word testDSST … Continue reading Acupuncture for SCD 2024

EA for tinnitus 2024

Stimulated by Zha et al 2024.[1] Photo by Kathryn Archibald on Pexels.com EA – electroacupunctureENT – ears nose and throat (refers to a medical specialty)TrP – trigger pointNMDA – N-methyl-D-aspartate (glutamate receptor)TS – subjective tinnitusTHI – tinnitus handicap inventoryrs-fMRI – resting state functional magnetic resonance imagingFC – functional connectivityINS – insula Treatment of tinnitus with … Continue reading EA for tinnitus 2024

EA for CUR 2024

Stimulated by Yang et al 2024.[1] Lake Powell, Arizona on Wednesday 19th April 2023. EA – electroacupunctureCUR – chronic urinary retentionQoL – quality of lifeSNS – sacral nerve stimulationPOUR – post-operative urinary retentionPVR – post-voiding residual (urine volume)EA – electroacupuncturePOCUS – point of care ultrasound key to acronyms This is a relatively small retrospective cohort … Continue reading EA for CUR 2024

Acupuncture for swallowing in PSD 2024

Stimulated by Ma et al and Zhang et al 2024.[1,2] MC doing tongue manoeuvres with a needle buried in CV23 at a BMAS Practical course in March 2024.CV23 has recently been introduced on the BMAS Foundation Course... PSD – post stroke dysphagiaIF – impact factorFMA – Fugl-Meyer assessment (motor function assessment after stroke)BI – Barthel … Continue reading Acupuncture for swallowing in PSD 2024

EA vs escitalopram for PSD

Stimulated by Ma et al 2024.[1] Photo by Julius Carmine on Unsplash.This image came up when I searched for Yancheng on Unsplash. Just to the right of centre, between the two central pillars you can just see a fluid level – I guess that is the Yellow Sea. EA – electroacupuncturePSD – post stroke depressionRCT … Continue reading EA vs escitalopram for PSD

Acupuncture in the ICU 2024

Stimulated by Ben-Arie et al 2024.[1] ICU – intensive care unitSR – systematic reviewMV – mechanical ventilationRCT – randomised controlled trialEA – electroacupunctureMA – manual acupunctureUS – ultrasoundRR – relative riskCI – confidence interval key to acronyms This paper was published online in November 2023, but I could not access the full text. Eventually I … Continue reading Acupuncture in the ICU 2024

EA post-TKA 2024

Inspired by Huang et al 2023.[1] This Figure is taken from the published protocol.[2] EA – electroacupunctureTKA – total knee arthroplastyRCT – randomised controlled trialVAS – visual analogue scorePCA – patient-controlled analgesiaMSK – musculoskeletalSD – standard deviationCI – confidence intervalMCID – minimum important clinical difference key to acronyms This is a paper that we (Acupuncture … Continue reading EA post-TKA 2024

EA vs metformin for IR in PCOS 2024

Inspired by Cao et al 2023.[1] With thanks to Deniah for the image. EA – electroacupunctureIR – insulin resistancePCOS – polycystic ovary syndromeBMI – body mass indexHOMA-IR – homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistanceAUC – area under curve key to acronyms I have a blog category for PCOS, but the last post on the topic … Continue reading EA vs metformin for IR in PCOS 2024

Chronic and recurrent Bell’s palsy 2023

Stimulated by Li et al, and Choi et al 2023.[1,2] Photo by 邱 严 on Unsplash, with some pretty bad editing on photoshop by MC to create facial asymmetry. EA – electroacupunctureTES – transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS applied to cause muscle contraction)EMG – electromyographyUS FDA – United States Food & Drug AdministrationTFNI – total facial … Continue reading Chronic and recurrent Bell’s palsy 2023