Opioids and IM

Stimulated by Hassan et al 2019.[1] Photo by Alexandru G Stavrică on Unsplash.Woman in a field of poppies... another plant-based former-alternative medicine 😉 This is a systematic review that asks the question: Does integrative medicine (IM) reduce prescribed opioid use for chronic pain? Obviously, I needed to look, having recently highlighted a similar topic on … Continue reading Opioids and IM

Mike’s minerva 1

Stimulated by recent letters in Acupuncture in Medicine.[1–4] Artist is Elihu Vedder (1836–1923). Photographed in 2007 by Carol M. Highsmith (1946–).Minerva is the Roman goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, strategic warfare, commerce weaving and the crafts. Her Greek equivalent is Athena... In the last week or so we have published several letters online, and they … Continue reading Mike’s minerva 1

Sensory testing again

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

Phantom acupuncture for back pain

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

Retroperitoneal abscess with pylephlebitis

Stimulated by Lee et al 2019.[1] Photo by Anton Nikolov on Unsplash.My favourite place to get images is Unsplash. It doesn’t have anything on the retroperitoneum or abscesses, so I went with loin, and then kidney, and found this lovely image of a kidney shaped lake. The title may sound to you like another adverse … Continue reading Retroperitoneal abscess with pylephlebitis

Acupuncture versus clomiphene controversy

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

Safety of AT in pregnancy

Stimulated by Moon et al 2019.[1] Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash. I found this image when searching for pregnancy and Korea on Unsplash. I suspect that these women are not actually pregnant, but I strongly suspect that they are Korean, since the photographer is from South Korea herself. This blog is about a retrospective … Continue reading Safety of AT in pregnancy

Initial healthcare provider and opioid use in LBP?

Stimulated by Kazis et al 2019.[1] Photo by Aiony Haust on Unsplash.This photo was chosen to represent opioids being used on back pain because the first naturally occurring opioids were discovered in a flower. Yes, it is a shame (for my purposes here) that this artistic photographer did not use poppies :-). I am sure … Continue reading Initial healthcare provider and opioid use in LBP?