Stimulated by Xu et al.[1] Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash. I casually picked up my copy of the BMJ on Friday 27th March 2020. The date on the cover was 28th March, in case any of you go searching. The cover image is a road sign mandating “Keep your distance”. Obviously COVID-19 is the big story, so … Continue reading Manual acupuncture for migraine
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
Stimulated by Moustgaard et al 2020.[1] Photo by Mitchell Luo on Unsplash."We are only going to look at double-blind randomised sham-controlled trials of acupuncture. No matter what the cost." The BMJ still comes in paper form through my door every week. It is usually in time for leafing through with my coffee on a Saturday morning, if I … Continue reading Blinding – where is the bias?
Stimulated by Garcia et al 2019.[1] Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash. This is rather a unique and striking study, published this week in an open access JAMA journal. It is the first large (n=399) three arm clinical trial in RIX (Radiotherapy-Induced Xerostomia), the first trial that performed the acupuncture from the start of radiotherapy, and the first … Continue reading RIX sham and cultural differences
Stimulated by Affaitati et al 2019.[1] Photo by Aiony Haust on Unsplash. This paper popped up on a very recent search, but not because it mentions acupuncture, in fact it doesn’t. I also search every day for the latest research in myofascial pain. I had a look at this one because of the last author … Continue reading Co-occurrence of pain syndromes
Stimulated by Dimitrova et al 2019 & Zheng et al 2019.[1,2] Photo by Aliona Gumeniuk on Unsplash. I first came across the acronym QST some years ago in one of the big national or international pain conferences where there are always numerous companies exhibiting extraordinarily expensive pieces of kit. QST devices appeared to be just … Continue reading Sensory testing again
Stimulated by Lee et al 2019 & Wei et al 2019.[1,2] Photo by Brad Lloyd on Unsplash. Back pain was a regular topic on this blog at its inception in March 2016 – around the time that the draft of NG59 was published. NG59 is the current NICE guideline for back pain and sciatica, although … Continue reading Phantom acupuncture for back pain
Stimulated by Gao et al 2019.[1] Photo by The Honest Company on Unsplash.Well this little chap looks a little oriental to me, so as all the trials in the highlighted SR were performed in China, he seemed most appropriate. Much as I would have liked to let this one slide by unannounced, I feel obliged … Continue reading Acupuncture versus clomiphene controversy
Stimulated by Kim et al 2019.[1] Photo by Iai_man_nung on Unsplash. I have been waiting for this network meta-analysis to be published since reviewing it 18 months ago. It introduces data to support an idea that I have had in my head for some time but never thought to actually try to quantify. This paper … Continue reading Do sham devices impede real acupuncture?
Inspired by an invitation to present on the topic to politicians in Madrid who apparently want to stop the practice of acupuncture by doctors in Spain - 18 January 2019. I have been lecturing on the scientific perspectives of acupuncture around the globe for over two decades. I have numerous PowerPoint slides to call upon, … Continue reading The problem with sham
The BMAS Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.