– more data, new insights... This blog was first published on 29th December 2017 on BMJ Blogs, but later removed. In 2012, the first individual patient data meta-analysis (IPDM) in the field of acupuncture was published.[1] It was also one of the first in the field of pain research. It was a struggle to publish, principally … Continue reading The Acupuncture Trialists’ Collaboration IPDM update 2017
– 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 26th January 2017 on https://blogs.bmj.com/aim/. At the time I was in Cape Town on holiday, trying to get a rapid response published to the NG59 summary in the BMJ. It was critical of NICE, and I was negotiating over content with a legal expert from BMJ! The response took three … Continue reading Acupuncture for infantile colic – misdirection in the media or over-reaction from a sceptic blogger?
This blog was first published on 30th December 2016 on https://blogs.bmj.com/aim/ - on reviewing the Wikipedia page today, and the talk pages behind it, I see little has changed, but there has been a lot of talk behind the scenes ;-). An eloquent and tenacious colleague has asked me to write about a cause she has taken … Continue reading Is acupuncture pseudoscience?
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
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