Pre-EA on spinal WDRs

Stimulated by Yu et al 2023.[1] Image from part of Figure 1 in Yu et al 2023.[1] EA – electroacupunctureWDR – wide dynamic range (neurones that respond to non-noxious and noxious inputs)SDH – spinal dorsal hornHS – hypertonic salineRF – receptive field key to acronyms This paper comes from Professor Jing’s team in Beijing and … Continue reading Pre-EA on spinal WDRs

EA for PSD

Stimulated by Yao et al 2023.[1] PSD – post-stroke dysphagiaIF – impact factorEA – electroacupunctureaka – also known asROS – reactive oxygen speciesM1 – primary motor cortexPBN – parabrachial nucleusNTS – nucleus tractus solitarius key to acronyms I am pretty selective about choosing laboratory studies to highlight on the blog. I do not have direct … Continue reading EA for PSD

Acup* for ARC 2023

Inspired by Chen C et al 2023 and Chen H-T et al 2023.[1,2] Screen grab from the supplementary video file demonstrating the position of the Qiu point.[1] Acup* – Acupressure or AcupunctureARC – acute renal colicRCT – randomised controlled trialIV – intravenousNSAID – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugBCE – before common era (secular version of BC)CE – … Continue reading Acup* for ARC 2023

Acupuncture for BCT

Inspired by Kao et al 2022,[1] and the protocol by Liu et al 2022.[2] Photo by Sam Burriss on Unsplash. BCT – blunt chest traumaNRS – numerical rating scaleFRS – face rating scaleSMI – sustained maximal inspirationHRV – heart rate variabilityHR – heart rateMAP – mean arterial pressurekey to acronyms Two papers from Taiwan appeared … Continue reading Acupuncture for BCT

Needling TePs in OAK

...does it make any difference? Inspired by Liu et al 2022.[1] Some interesting looking structures in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. TePs – tender pointsOA – osteoarthritisOAK – osteoarthritis of the kneeAPs – acupuncture pointsTrPs – trigger pointsEA – electroacupuncturekey to acronyms This is a large clinical trial (n=666) from Chengdu that compares different acupuncture approaches to … Continue reading Needling TePs in OAK

Acupuncture for CD 2022

Inspired by Bao et al 2022.[1] Cladogram from Bao et al 2022. A cladogram is a diagram used to show relationships between organisms – from the Greek clados (branch) and gramma (character). CD – Crohn’s DiseaseMA – manual acupunctureCDAI – Crohn’s Disease Activity IndexEA – electroacupunctureCDEIS – Crohn’s Disease Endoscopic Index of SeverityHS – Histopathological … Continue reading Acupuncture for CD 2022

EA in FD 2022

Inspired by Wu et al, Yang et al, & Li et al 2022.[1–3] Image by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash. EA – electroacupunctureFD – functional dyspepsia or functional diarrhoeaFDys – functional dyspepsia (in this blog)FDr – functional diarrhoea (in this blog)IBS – irritable bowel syndrometid – ter in die (3 times a day)tds – ter die sumendus (to be … Continue reading EA in FD 2022

Missing the point in Guangzhou 2022

Inspired by Zeng et al 2022.[1] Cropped photo of BMJ cover from 10th March 2018. IF – impact factorEA – electroacupunctureMA – manual acupunctureNPQ – Northwick Park Neck Pain QuestionnaireSF-MPQ – Short-Form McGill Pain QuestionnaireVAS – visual analogue scorePT – pain threshold (in this case electrical pain threshold in skin)PPT – pressure pain thresholdkey to … Continue reading Missing the point in Guangzhou 2022

Chronic pain and the PAG 2022

Inspired by Xu et al 2022.[1] Photo by TBS 44 on Unsplash. PAG – periaqueductal grayFC – functional connectivityMRI – magnetic resonance imagingfMRI – functional magnetic resonance imagingCNSP – chronic neck and shoulder painHC – healthy controlMA – manual acupunctureMC – metacarpalBOLD – blood oxygen level dependantpIns – posterior insulaPCS – pain catastrophising scalekey to … Continue reading Chronic pain and the PAG 2022