TENS in patients with ICDs

Stimulated by Subhail Arain et al 2023.[1] Visual abstract from Subhail Arain et al 2023.[1] TENS – transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulationICD – implanted cardioverter defibrillatorEA – electroacupunctureCRT – cardiac resynchronisation therapyECG – electrocardiogramEMI – electromagnetic interferenceVT – ventricular tachycardiaVF – ventricular fibrillationAEs – adverse events key to acronyms As a keen proponent of EA and … Continue reading TENS in patients with ICDs →

PO predicts use of CAM

…and conventional medicine. Stimulated by Valtonen et al 2023.[1] Figure 3 from Valtonen et al 2023.[1] The association between an anti-corruption PO and the use of CM. PO – political orientationCAM – complementary and alternative medicineCM – conventional medicineGal-Tan – a political dimension distinguishing Gal voters from Tan votersGal – green-alternative-libertarianTan – traditional-authoritarian-nationalist key to … Continue reading PO predicts use of CAM →

Where to needle – part 3

…in teres minor and other SG muscles. Stimulated by Yi et al 2023.[1] Photo by Shakibuzzaman Khan Chowdhury on Unsplash. SG – shoulder girdleTrP – trigger point (referring to a myofascial trigger point)SG – shoulder girdleTrP – trigger point (referring to a myofascial trigger point)EPZ – endplate zone (the area of a muscle where motor … Continue reading Where to needle – part 3 →

Acupuncture for FM 2023

Stimulated by Di Carlo et al 2023 and Treister-Goltzman et al 2023.[1,2] Photo by Mattia Golinucci on Unsplash. An ancient church in a cave, il tempio del valadier, the valadier's temple in Ancona. Di Carlo et al are from the same region of Italy. FM – fibromyalgiaMA – manual acupunctureBMI – body mass indexFIQR – … Continue reading Acupuncture for FM 2023 →

Acupuncture and dementia risk in insomnia 2023

Inspired by Huang et al 2023.[1] Visual abstract from Huang et al 2023.[1] WHO – World Health OrganisationPRC – Peoples Republic of ChinaLHID – Longitudinal Health Insurance DatabaseNHIRD – National Health Insurance Research Database (Taiwan)HR – hazard ratioaHR – adjusted hazard ratioNSAID – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugMAOI – monoamine oxidase inhibitorSSRI – selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor … Continue reading Acupuncture and dementia risk in insomnia 2023 →

Acupuncture for MSK pain in China

Stimulated by Mei et al 2023.[1] Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash. MSK – musculoskeletalCHARLS – China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study key to acronyms The title of this paper caught my eye, and the abstract contains an acronym that makes me smile with a mixture of irony and curiosity – CHARLS. CHARLS was set … Continue reading Acupuncture for MSK pain in China →

EA for NVP 2023

Stimulated by Wu et al 2023.[1] EA – electroacupunctureNVP – nausea and vomiting of pregnancyPCOS – polycystic ovarian syndromeLisa SV – Professor Elisabet Stener-Victorin, Karolinska InstitutetPUQE – pregnancy unique quantification of emesisIF – impact factorGWAS – genome wide association studyhCG – human chorionic gonadotrophinGDF15 – growth/differentiation factor 15 key to acronyms This is the largest … Continue reading EA for NVP 2023 →

MDD and migraine 2023

Stimulated by Lv et al 2023.[1] Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash. MDD – major depressive disorderTCM – traditional Chinese medicineGWAS – genome wide association studiesSNP – single nucleotide polymorphism (change of a single letter in the genetic code)PD – Parkinson’s diseaseCHD – coronary heart disease key to acronyms This paper came up on my searches last month, … Continue reading MDD and migraine 2023 →

Acupuncture in ICH 2023

Stimulated by Li et al 2023.[1] BDNF - Microswitch at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. ICH – intracerebral haemorrhageRCT – randomised controlled trialEA – electroacupunctureSAH – subarachnoid haemorrhagemRS – modified Rankin Scale (a 0 to 6 scale measuring disability)GCS – Glasgow coma scale (measures conscious level up to a maximum of … Continue reading Acupuncture in ICH 2023 →

Hypertension risk in CSU 2023

Stimulated by Chang et al 2023.[1] Modified slightly from BruceBlaus, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons CSU – chronic spontaneous urticariaCIU – chronic idiopathic urticaria (same as CSU)NHIRD – National Health Insurance Research DatabaseLHID – Longitudinal Health Insurance DatabaseaHR – adjusted hazard ratio key to acronyms This is another of the large retrospective observational … Continue reading Hypertension risk in CSU 2023 →