EA vs metformin for IR in PCOS 2021

Inspired by Wen et al 2021.[1] Photo by Sebastian Pena Lambarri on Unsplash. The admittedly tenuous link to this week's blog is of course FINS, which feature in both. EA – electroacupunctureMA – manual acupunctureIR – insulin resistancePCOS – polycystic ovary syndromeRCT – randomised controlled trialBMI – body mass indexHOMA-IR – homeostatic model assessment of … Continue reading EA vs metformin for IR in PCOS 2021

PID regression 2021

Inspired by Hu et al 2021.[1] Photo by Neonbrand on Unsplash. PID – prolapsed intervertebral discIMHO – in my humble opinionMRI – magnetic resonance imagingkey to acronyms Over the years I have seen many patients with back pain, including those with the source of pain in the back that presents as pain somewhere in the … Continue reading PID regression 2021

Acupuncture for ARC 2021

Inspired by Zhang et al 2021.[1] Photo by Anton Nikolov on Unsplash. ARC – acute renal colicIF – impact factorMA – manual acupunctureIM – intramuscular (injection – a route for administering drugs)IV – intravenous (ditto)NSAID – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugCOX – cyclooxygenaseSEs – side effectsVAS – visual analogue scale (score) key to acronyms This is a … Continue reading Acupuncture for ARC 2021

Acupuncture for TD

Acupuncture for tic disorders in children 2021 Inspired by You et al 2021.[1] Photo by Freeman Zhou on Unsplash. TD – tic disordersYGTSS – Yale Global Tic Severity ScaleTSS – total tic score (of the YGTSS)GSS – global severity score (of the YGTSS)ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorderOCD – obsessive compulsive disorderkey to acronyms This … Continue reading Acupuncture for TD

Risk of T2DM in RA

Inspired by Chen et al 2021.[1] Tea fields, Alishan Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan. Photo by Alexa Soh on Unsplash. T2DM – type 2 diabetes mellitusRA – rheumatoid arthritisCHD – coronary heart diseaseaHR – adjusted hazard ratioMA – manual acupunctureEA – electroacupunctureTNFα – tumour necrosis factor alpha (a potent inflammatory cytokine)LHID – longitudinal health insurance database … Continue reading Risk of T2DM in RA

Cortisol and the menopause 2021

Inspired by Cagnacci et al 2021.[1] Professor Angelo Cagnacci presenting at the BMAS Autumn Scientific Meeting in 2019. RCT – randomised controlled trialHRT – homone replacement therapyCVD – cardiovascular diseaseROS – reactive oxygen species (a form of free radicals)NO – nitrous oxidekey to acronyms This is the third and probably the last paper to come … Continue reading Cortisol and the menopause 2021

Acupuncture in PD 2021

Inspired by Brandín-de la Cruz et al 2021,[1] Pereira et al 2021,[2] and Park et al 2021.[3] Dopamine – carbon (yellow), oxygen (red), nitrogen (blue) and hydrogen (gold). PD – Parkinson’s diseaseRCT – randomised controlled trialDN – dry needlingTrP – trigger point1Hz DN – insertion of the needle once every secondTUG – timed up and … Continue reading Acupuncture in PD 2021

A neuroanatomic basis for EA

Inspired by Lui et al 2021.[1] Diagramatic representation of the genetic manipulation used to make cells expressing both prokineticin receptor 2 and advillin produce and thus fluoresce with tdTomato – redrawn by MC on Adobe Illustrator. EA – electroacupunctureIF – impact factor (2-year)Prokr2Adv – a set of nerves expressing both Prokr2 and advillinProkr2 – prokineticin … Continue reading A neuroanatomic basis for EA