Reviewing, Race & Sex

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com I was spoilt for choice this week! Various papers had the potential to make the cut, but there was no easy way to draw them together, apart from the fact that many were systematic reviews.[1–5] The race and sex from the title refers to a couple of recent experimental papers … Continue reading Reviewing, Race & Sex

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

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

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

V-V hyperalgesia again

Stimulated by Constantini et al 2020.[1] Image by Emiliano Vittoriosi on Unsplash. This is another paper from the Italian stable of Maria Adele Giamberardino. So perhaps you have guessed that the V-V stands for viscerovisceral. This is another novel relatively long-term experimental study embedded within actual clinical practice. The rather older but similar clinical experimental … Continue reading V-V hyperalgesia again

EA for CP 2020

Stimulated by Wang et al 2020.[1] Photo by Mi Pham on Unsplash. This paper was published online on the 2nd January. I was drawn to read the abstract because the title mentioned a comparison of EA (electroacupuncture) and MA (manual acupuncture) in spasticity, although MA is referred to in the paper as body acupuncture. The abstract suggested a … Continue reading EA for CP 2020