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
Inspired by Li et al and He et al 2025.[1,2] Photo by Robina on Unsplash. COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseEA – electroacupunctureAPI – allergic pulmonary inflammationIF – impact factorGOLD – Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease6MWD – 6-minute walk distanceSGRQ – St. George’s Respiratory QuestionnaireHRQoL – health-related quality of lifeMCID – minimal clinically important difference – … Continue reading Acupuncture in COPD 2025
Inspired by Jiang et al 2025.[1] Hugo Pinto demonstrating a protocol for rehabilitation of acute ankle injuries on a boat travelling up the Douro River from Porto. In the BMAS, we refer to this fondly as the 'BMAS Boat Trip'. It was oversubscribed and the day before the BMAS Autumn Scientific Meeting in September 2013. … Continue reading EA for AOA
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