– 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
…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
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!
This blog was first published on 30th May 2017 on https://blogs.bmj.com/aim/ This piece has been stimulated by a recent publication in JAMA evaluating the use of regular intra-articular corticosteroid injections for symptom management and cartilage volume in osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.[1] Previous research had suggested that the inflammatory process in the knee was associated with … Continue reading Why not needles for OA – no steroid, just the needles!
This blog was first published on 9th March 2017 on https://blogs.bmj.com/aim/ Figure 3 from Woods B et al PLoS One 2017[1] This figure may seem familiar to some who follow big data in the acupuncture field. It comes from another big project at the Centre for Health Economics, University of York.[1] It is effectively a repeat of their … Continue reading TENS and acupuncture appear cost-effective in OAK
This blog was first published on 9th February 2017 on https://blogs.bmj.com/aim/ Inspired by Wang et al Acupunct Med 2017 [1] Image taken from Cummings M Acupunct Med 2009 [2] I got interested in swapping my hypodermic needles for filiform ones some 25 years ago, and was encouraged by my early success treating myofascial pain in a … Continue reading Precision needling in myofascial pain
This blog was first published on 30th Novenber 2016 on https://blogs.bmj.com/aim/ When the draft clinical guideline for low back pain & sciatica was published in February 2016, it was with some resignation that I noted the 2009 recommendation in CG88 for acupuncture in low back pain (from 6 weeks to 1 year)[1] had been dropped. It … Continue reading Too NICE – there appears to be a glaring orthodox bias in NG59
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
…a career-defining symptom? This blog was first published on 18th May 2016 on BMJ Blogs. The Filshie files - breathlessness Dr Jacqueline Filshie Jacky Filshie (JF) has devoted a medical career to symptom management in the cancer suffering population. Her early personal experience of acupuncture needling had a significant impression on her, probably because she … Continue reading Breathless…
This blog was first published on 4th April 2016 on https://blogs.bmj.com/aim/ Further commentary: Low back pain and sciatica: management of non-specific low back pain and sciatica Draft clinical guideline February 2016 This commentary follows a previous blog post. Late last Friday night I got around to dropping the pain VAS outcome figures from the trials of acupuncture … Continue reading Musings on heterogeneity in quantitative outcomes of acupuncture trials in LBP
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