Stimulated by Gao et al 2026.[1] Protocol used in Liu et al 2012.[2] EA – electroacupunctureMA – manual acupunctureUSCC – ultra severe chronic constipationSCC – severe chronic constipationCACMS – China Academy of Chinese Medical SciencesIF – impact factorCSBM – complete spontaneous bowel movementMCID – minimal clinically important differenceOIC – opioid-induced constipation – key to acronyms … Continue reading EA vs Prucalopride in USCC 2025
Stimulated by Liu et al 2025.[1] TCM – traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture and CHM)CHM – Chinese herbal medicineMwoA – migraine without auraRCT – randomised controlled trialMMD – monthly migraine days (from a 4-week headache diary)EA – electroacupunctureRR50 – responder rate 50 (a 50% or more reduction in MMD)NMA – network meta-analysis – key to acronyms … Continue reading TCM vs flunarizine in MwoA 2025
Stimulated by DeBar et al 2025.[1] Photo of Multnomah Falls in Oregan by Makayla Asuncion from Pexels. cLBP – chronic low back painIF – impact factorEA – enhanced acupuncture (rather confusing I’m afraid)SA – standard electroacupunctureUMC – usual medical careRMDQ – Roland-Morris Disability QuestionnaireMCID – minimal clinically important differencePEG – pain, enjoyment, and general activity … Continue reading Acupuncture for cLBP 2025
Stimulated by Gyeltshen et al 2025.[1] Photo by Pema Gyamtsho on Pexels.com IF – impact factorEiC – editor in chiefSLR – straight leg raising (the most famous test for sciatica, but not a terribly good one) – key to acronyms This is a somewhat smaller trial (n=70) than the last one I highlighted on sciatic … Continue reading Acupuncture vs gabapentin for sciatica in Bhutan
Stimulated by Yu et al 2025.[1] Photo by Matthew Zheng on Pexels.com EA – electroacupunctureS-AGI – sepsis-induced acute gastrointestinal injuryICU – intensive care unitIF – impact factorPSM – propensity score matchingHR – hazard ratioAPACHE – acute physiology and chronic health evaluationAPACHE-II – a score applied to patients on admission to ICU for risk stratificationTCM – … Continue reading EA for S-AGI
Stimulated by Xu et al 2025.[1] Photo by Lee Jason on Pexels.com PSD – post-stroke dysphagiaRCT – randomised controlled trialMA – manual acupunctureIF – impact factorWST – water swallowing test (30ml of water)CRT – conventional rehabilitation trainingSSA – standardised swallowing assessmentMMASA – modified Mann assessment of swallowing ability5-HT – 5-hydroxytriptamine (aka serotonin)SWAL-QoL – swallowing quality of … Continue reading Acupuncture for PSD 2 2025
Stimulated by Zhang et al 2025.[1] Photo by Kent Zhong on Pexels.com.Aerial View of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in China. PSD – post-stroke dysphagiaRCT – randomised controlled trialMA – manual acupunctureSRT – swallowing rehabilitation trainingIF – impact factorc – circa (from Latin and written before a number to mean it is an approximation)WST … Continue reading Acupuncture for PSD 2025
Inspired by Lv et al 2025.[1] Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com EA – electroacupunctureOAB – overactive bladderVES – vaginal electrical stimulationTTNS – transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulationTENS – transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulationTEAS – transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulationPTNS – percutaneous tibial nerve stimulationOABSS – overactive bladder symptom scoreMCID – minimal clinically important differenceSNM – sacral neuromodulation – … Continue reading EA for OAB 2025
Inspired by Gu et al 2025.[1] Photo by 东旭 王 on Unsplash. TENS – transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulationTEAS – transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulationSW-CRT – stepped wedge cluster randomised trialLDU – labour and delivery unitCEQ – childbirth experience questionnaire – key to acronyms This is a large trial from Shanghai evaluating two non-pharmacological approaches to treating … Continue reading Acupressure plus TENS in labour
Inspired by Kawi et al 2025.[1] Vaccaria hispanica seeds from the Government of Canada seed identification site. APA – auricular point acupressurecLBP – chronic low back painIF – impact factorMSK – musculoskeletalNRS – numerical rating scaleRMDQ – Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire – key to acronyms This is a moderately large 3-arm trial (n=272) from the US. … Continue reading APA in cLBP 2025
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