This blog was first published on 2nd August 2018 on a BMJ blog, and re-posted here when the former post was expunged ;-). Effect of Acupuncture on Joint Pain Related to Aromatase Inhibitors Among Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer - Hershman et al JAMA 2018 A large rigorous and statistically positive trial published in a prestigious … Continue reading Aromatase inhibitors, joint pain and acupuncture 2018
Category: Sham
Acupuncture and IVF
– no clear effect on live birth rate This blog was first published on 18th June 2018 on https://blogs.bmj.com/aim/ Acupuncture has become very popular within the field of assisted reproduction, and particularly as an intervention within IVF (In-Vitro Fertilisation). In an editorial from 2015 in Acupuncture in Medicine, David Carr lists 12 meta-analyses on the subject … Continue reading Acupuncture and IVF
Rewiring the brain with acupuncture
– does sophisticated MRI data point us to optimal treatment? This blog was first published on 25th January 2018 on BMJ Blogs, this blog has been removed, so it was reproduced here. For some time, a group on the US east coast have been quietly scanning brains with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and related techniques … Continue reading Rewiring the brain with acupuncture
EA for chronic severe functional constipation
– it seems to work after a prolonged course This blog was first published on 28th November 2017 on BMJ Blogs, but it was subsequently removed. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com About a year ago I was surprised to see a sham controlled RCT of electroacupuncture (EA) published in Annals of Internal Medicine.[1] I was surprised … Continue reading EA for chronic severe functional constipation
Segmental EA falls short in ovulation induction
…in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) This blog was first published on 18th November 2017 on BMJ Blogs, but has subsequently been removed. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Finally, I have come to address this topic, some months following publication of an eagerly awaited (at least by me) large clinical trial.[1] I have been a … Continue reading Segmental EA falls short in ovulation induction
Burning nerves with needles in back pain – stop the burning, just use the needles!
This blog was first published on 27th July 2017 on https://blogs.bmj.com/aim/ I subsequently attended the Spanish Pain Society conference (#SEDPalma2018) and there was a whole session devoted to this paper and why it did not apply to the way these specialists used the technique :-/. This piece has also been stimulated by a publication in JAMA, … Continue reading Burning nerves with needles in back pain – stop the burning, just use the needles!
Quality sham
This blog was first published on 13th October 2016 on BMJ Blogs, but it was taken down subsequently and reposted here. Comments stimulated by: Saramago et al. BMC Med Res Methodol 2016 This week a new finding in the acupuncture field was published in a rather unlikely journal. BMC Medical Research Methodology is one of the Biomed … Continue reading Quality sham
Exercise not acupuncture recommended by NICE for low back pain
This blog was first published on 31st March 2016 on BMJ Blogs (link no longer available). Commentary: Low back pain and sciatica: management of non-specific low back pain and sciatica – draft clinical guideline February 2016 (link no longer available). NICE clinical guidelines are very large pieces of work. This draft runs to over 1000 pages with … Continue reading Exercise not acupuncture recommended by NICE for low back pain








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