The Journal of Chinese Medicine back issues from February 2008:
How old is acupuncture? Challenging the Neolithic origins theory.
Feb 01, 2008; ... Abstract A thorough re-evaluation of all extant literature, as well as documents and archaeological relics unearthed since the 1960s, confirms that acupuncture is not as ancient as has generally been assumed, and that it did not, in fact, appear and gradually develop during ...
Stiff person syndrome--management by Chinese medicine: a case study.
Feb 01, 2008; ... Abstract Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) is a rare disease of the central nervous system characterised by muscle rigidity and episodic spasm. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder as about 60% of SPS patients present with immune mediated y-aminobutyric acid deficiency. There is ...
Acupuncture for nausea in early pregnancy: a discussion and case.(Medical condition overview)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Abstract Nausea and vomiting is very common in pregnancy. A patient presented with nausea at the 10th week of gestation and was treated with acupuncture, reporting a total elimination of her symptoms within five minutes. This article investigates the aetiology, physiology and ...
The experience of Professor Sun Gui Zhi in preventing and treating the recurrence and metastasis of stomach cancer.
Feb 01, 2008; ... Abstract Professor Sun Guizhi chief doctor of Guang An Men Hospital affiliated to the China Academy ofTraditional Chinese Medicine, is a famous Chinese specialist who applies traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) or the integration of TCM and Western medicine in the ...
Itinerant doctors in Chinese history.
Feb 01, 2008; ... Abstract This article examines the activities and skills of itinerant doctors in Chinese history and reflects on their gradual transition into a class of itinerant artisans, in parallel with the development of society. It notes that despite the fact that some were quacks who ...
Melancholic humours: conceptions of energy flow and constraint in Chinese and Western medicine.
Feb 01, 2008; ... Abstract A common theme in modern discussions of Chinese medicine is its success in maintaining a more process-oriented view of the body, characterised by concepts of energy, flow and the integration of body and mind. This framework is usually contrasted with modern Western ...
Acupuncture Research: Strategies for Establishing an Evidence Base.
Feb 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ACUPUNCTURE RESEARCH: STRATEGIES FOR ESTABLISHING AN EVIDENCE BASE by Hugh MacPherson, Richard Hammerschlag, George Lewith & Rosa Schnyer, Churchill Livingstone, softback, 288 pages, 29.99 [pounds sterling] With this book MacPherson, ...
Currents of Tradition in Chinese Medicine: 1626-2006.(Book review)
Feb 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CURRENTS OF TRADITION IN CHINESE MEDICINE: 1626-2006 by volker Scheid, eastland Press, hardback, 564 pages, 26.95 [pounds sterling] While sitting in the waiting room of a colleague in Munich, this time as a patient, I struck up conversation with ...
Gynaecology Revisited: Obstetrics and Gynaecology for Practitioners of Chinese Medicine.(Book review)
Feb 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GYNAECOLOGY REVISITED: OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY FOR PRACTITIONERS OF CHINESE MEDICINE by robin marchment, Churchill-Livingstone, 2007, 380 pages, 40.99 [pounds sterling] There is something about Robin Marchment's Gynaecology Revisited that is ...
Low level laser for the stimulation of acupoints for smoking cessation: a double blind, placebo controlled randomised trial and semi structured interviews.(Report)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Abstract Aim: to determine whether the application of laser acupoint stimulation to previously reported effective ear and body acupuncture points was successful in reducing the physical symptoms of withdrawal, so promoting a complete cessation of smoking. design: The method used ...
Xie qi in the Ling Shu: balance, harmony and the possibility of invasion.(Report)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Abstract There is a tension evident in the use of some TCm concepts in a modern context. Xie qi (evil qi) is an ancient concept which is still in use, but speculation remains about its meaning in ancient texts such as the Nei Jing Ling Shu (Inner Classic Spiritual Pivot). The ...
Auricular acupuncture and substance misuse: a clinical audit.(Report)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Abstract This article reports on a clinical audit of a substance misuse service in Kent (UK). The audit assessed the efficacy of auricular acupuncture treatment of the symptoms commonly associated with addiction, as well as measuring its benefits in the clinical management of ...
Acupuncture effective for allergic rhinitis.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... An Australian study has found that acupuncture can significantly reduce the symptoms of persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR). The randomised, single-blind, sham-controlled trial included 80 patients with PAR (aged 16-70 years) who were randomly assigned to real or sham acupuncture. Three key ...
Acupuncture for migraine.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Italian researchers have conducted a trial on migraine sufferers that attempts to separate the specific effects of a true TCM acupuncture treatment from the effects of both standard sham acupuncture and a mock 'acupuncture healing ritual'. One hundred and sixty patients were divided into ...
Acupuncture twice as good for chronic low back pain.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Another result from the large multi-centre German Acupuncture Trials (GERAC), suggests that both real and sham acupuncture are much more effective against chronic low back pain than conventional therapy. The patient--and observer-blinded randomised controlled trial involved 340 outpatient ...
Acupuncture for tension-type headache.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Tension-type headache (TTH) improves after acupuncture, but the difference between real and sham treatment is not significant, a new German study has found. The randomised, controlled, multicentre, patient-and observer-blinded trial was carried out in 122 outpatient practices on 409 ...
Acupuncture eases facial pain.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Pain tolerance in the masticatory muscles of patients suffering from chronic myofascial pain has been found to increase significantly with acupuncture when compared with sham acupuncture. Acupuncture at Hegu L.I.-4 was compared with blunt, non-penetrating sham in 15 chronic ...
Acupuncture better than more heartburn drugs.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... If proton pump inhibitors fail to control the symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, current standard management is to double the drug dose, despite limited therapeutic gain. An American clinical trial has compared this protocol against use of acupuncture. Thirty patients with ...
Acupuncture no effect on induction.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Swedish study has found no significant effect of acupuncture on reducing the time taken for women to go into labour after pre-labour rupture of membranes (PROM). In a randomised controlled trial (RCT), 106 nulliparous women were allocated to an acupuncture group (AG) or a control group ...
Electroacupuncture for dental surgery pain.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Brazilian study has concluded that electroacupuncture (EA) is effective at controlling postoperative pain after dental surgery. Twenty-four patients with symmetrically impacted mandibular third molars were selected. Each patient was submitted to two separate surgical procedures under ...
Auricular acupuncture for smoking cessation.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A prospective, randomised, controlled trial has compared auricular acupuncture for smoking cessation against sham in a group of 131 Taiwanese adults. The treatment group received auricular acupuncture at Shenmen, Sympathetic, Mouth and Lung points for eight weeks. The control group ...
Laser acupuncture effective for children's headaches.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Laser acupuncture can provide significant benefit in the treatment of children with headache. Researchers in Germany carried out a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of laser acupuncture in 43 children (mean age 12.3 years) with various types of headache. Patients received ...
Acupressure for chemotherapy sickness.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Self-applied acupressure for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting has been found to compare favourably with placebo. A multicentre, longitudinal, randomised clinical trial enrolled 160 women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Subjects were randomised to one of three groups: ...
Ambulance acupressure reduces broken arm pain.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Applying acupressure to Baihui DU-20 and Hegu L.I.-4 while in transit to hospital effectively reduces pain and anxiety in patients with distal radial fractures. Acupressure was performed in the ambulance on a group of 32 patients either at true acupressure points or at sham points. Vital ...
Electroacupuncture for dogs' disks.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Electroacupuncture is an effective treatment for intervertebral disk disease in dogs. Fifty dogs with signs of thoracolumbar intervertebral disk disease were randomly allocated to receive either electroacupuncture stimulation combined with standard Western medical treatment, or ...
Auricular acupuncture effective for insomnia.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A systematic review of current literature conducted by authors from Hong Kong has concluded that auricular acupuncture appears to be effective for treating insomnia. Eight hundred and seventy eight (878) papers were searched of which only six trials (402 people treated with AA among 673 ...
Auricular acupuncture for chemo hot flushes.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A small qualitative study carried out in the UK has found that a standardised auricular acupuncture protocol delivered in small group clinics is beneficial for women suffering from hot flushes caused by hormone treatment for breast cancer. The 16 women interviewed found the acupuncture to ...
Acupuncture's benefits for stroke have been underestimated.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... An American author has reanalysed the results of a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture for stroke recovery. He found that methodological flaws in the original studies, combined with the negative impact of inappropriate exclusion criteria in the meta-analysis, tended ...
Acupuncture equivalent to drugs for migraine.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A review of current studies on acupuncture and migraine concludes that a six-week course of acupuncture is not inferior to a six-month prophylactic drug treatment, but that specific TCM-based point selection, point stimulation and ...
Acupuncture for polycystic ovaries.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A review article has evaluated the use of acupuncture to prevent and reduce symptoms related to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Reporting on experimental observations in rat models of polycystic ovaries and clinical data from studies in women with PCOS, the Swedish authors suggest that ...
Characterisation of deqi.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... An experimental study has been carried out using fMRI to characterise the nature and cause of the sensations experienced during deqi. Manual acupuncture was performed at Hegu L.I.-4, Zusanli ST-36 and Taichong LIV-3 during fMRI in 42 acupuncture-naive healthy adult volunteers. Non-invasive ...
'Dragon's blood' kills stomach ulcer bug.(News)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Researchers in China have identified the active ingredients of 'dragon's blood', a resin derived from the herb Xue Jie (Draconis Sanguis), which are responsible for its beneficial effects on peptic ulcers and ability to stop bleeding. Twenty-two different compounds identified from the ...
Chinese herbal medicine better than drugs for dysmenorrhoea.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... The evidence supporting the use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for primary dysmenorrhoea is promising, but better quality research on the subject is still required. These are the conclusions of a systematic review by Australian researchers, which included 39 RCTs involving a total of ...
Herb takes the fun out of coke.(News)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A compound extracted from Chinese herb Stephania (han fang ji), prevents cocaine from exerting its euphoric effects on rats. Tetrahydropalmatine blocks dopamine receptors in the brain that are normally responsible for pleasurable sensations felt in response to taking ...
Echinacea prevents and treats colds.(News)(Report)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A new meta-analysis suggests that taking Echinacea can cut the chances of catching the common cold by 58% and reduce its duration by 1.4 days. American researchers combined the results of 14 randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trials involving nearly 3000 patients, making it the ...
Diet improves fertility.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Following a 'fertility diet' may favourably influence fertility in otherwise healthy women. A cohort of 17,544 American women, without a history of infertility, were followed for eight years as they tried to become pregnant. Researchers calculated a dietary score of one to five points for ...
Apples and fish during pregnancy protect against atopy.(News)(Clinical report)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Intake of apples and fish by women during pregnancy may reduce the risk of their children developing atopic conditions, according to the results of a longitudinal cohort study of nearly 2000 Dutch children. Mothers completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) during pregnancy, and ...
'Fruity' vegetables and fish reduce atopy.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Another mother and child study, this time from the Spanish island of Menorca, supports a potential protective effect of 'fruity' vegetables and fish intake during childhood on wheeze and atopy respectively. The mothers of 460 children completed detailed questionnaires on their children's ...
High veg diet doesn't prevent breast cancer relapse.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A diet low in fats and very high in fruits and vegetables does not seem to help prevent relapse of breast cancer in women suffering from the disease. A study involving 3000 American women found that even though the intervention group managed to maintain the healthy diet (vegetables +65%, ...
Refined carbs are bad for the eyes.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... People who eat more refined carbohydrates have a higher risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the retinal disease that is the leading cause of blindness. A prospective study of 4000 people, aged 55-80, in the USA examined the relationship between dietary carbohydrate quality, ...
Eat less, stay fit.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Caloric restriction has previously been shown to extend lifespan in animal models. New research shows that it can also maintain physical fitness into old age. A study on rats that had been maintained on a severely calorically restricted diet since birth showed that they had significantly ...
Food restriction increases rats' pleasure.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A brain-imaging study of genetically obese rats has added to existing evidence that dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with reward, pleasure, movement and motivation, plays a role in obesity. Investigators found that obese rats had lower levels of dopamine receptors than lean rats ....
Fast for a healthy heart.(News)(Survey)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... New research suggests that Mormons' habit of fasting for one day a month may benefit their hearts. A study in Utah, where the religion is based, surveyed 515 elderly people undergoing coronary angiography for suspected heart disease about their lifestyle. Those who fasted were 39% more ...
US kids developing hypertension.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... American children are showing increasing signs of high blood pressure, a precursor to heart attack and stroke. Data collected on nearly 30,000 youths found that the proportion of children and adolescents with pre-hypertension rose from 7.7% to 10% between 1988 and 2002, while the rate of ...
Green tea--a miracle medicine?(News)(Report)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Evidence for the manifold benefits of green tea continues to mount. Recent studies have shown a significant preventive effect against colorectal and oral cancer in women who drank green tea regularly, and a 48% reduction in risk of developing advanced prostate cancer in men who drank five ...
A little chocolate does blood pressure good.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Regular eating of small amounts of dark chocolate may help lower blood pressure. In a German study, 44 volunteers with mildly raised blood pressure ate just over six grams of dark chocolate (one square from German chocolate bar Ritter Sport) or the same amount of white chocolate daily for ...
Organic tomatoes really are healthier.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A 10-year study comparing organic tomatoes with conventionally grown ones suggests that they may be healthier, confirming pro-organic opinion. Levels of the antioxidant flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol, which have been linked to reduced rates of cardiovascular disease, cancer and ...
Obesity reduces male fertility.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Researchers from the National Institutes of Health in the US have found that men with increased body mass index (BMI) are significantly more likely to be infertile than normal-weight men. The study of more than 25,000 couples found that men classed as clinically obese (BMI>30) were 36% ...
Smoking in pregnancy linked to male infertility.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Smoking during pregnancy adversely affects the reproductive systems of male foetuses, according to Scottish scientists. Their study looked at the expression of genes in male foetal tissue (testes, blood and liver), comparing pregnancies of mothers who smoked with those that did not. Levels ...
Maternal drinking leads to kids' bad behaviour.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Drinking during pregnancy has adverse behavioural consequences for the offspring. A longitudinal study questioned 4,912 mothers about their drinking habits while pregnant and assessed 8,621 of their offspring for behavioural problems between the ages of four and eleven. Children ...
Relaxed mum = relaxed baby.(News)(Medical condition overview)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Researchers in the USA measured foetal responses to a guided meditation designed to induce maternal relaxation during the 32nd week of pregnancy. The 18-minute guided imagery intervention generated significant changes in maternal heart rate, skin conductance, respiration period and ...
Breastfeeding prevents asthma.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Longer breastfeeding in infancy is associated with improved lung function in later childhood, as long as the mother does not have asthma. American researchers followed 679 children from birth to adolescence and evaluated their lung function between the ages of 11 and 16. Breastfed children ...
Ten steps to avoiding cancer.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... The American Institute for Cancer Research and World Cancer Research Fund have issued a comprehensive report detailing the links between cancer and various dietary and lifestyle factors. The report lists ten recommendations for those who want to reduce their cancer risk: keep body fat down ...
Night shifts are carcinogenic.(News)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer arm of the World Health Organisation, has reclassified overnight shift work as a probable carcinogen. Epidemiological studies on nurses and flight crews have previously linked night work with cancer of the breast and ...
Moderate drinking good for the old brain.(News)(Report)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... The results of a prospective observational study of 6005 UK adults over 50 suggest that moderate drinking is associated with better mental health than abstinence. For both men and women, better cognition and subjective well-being, and fewer depressive ...
Anger and stress are bad for the heart.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Anger and stress in middle-aged men and women are associated with developing high blood pressure and coronary heart disease (CHD). Investigators analysed data from an American cohort study of 15,792 subjects aged 45-64 at enrolment. Participants were followed up over 11 years for the ...
Loneliness impairs immune response.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Lonely people are prone to illness and early death because their immune system genes are dysregulated. An American study analysed gene transcription activity in people who chronically experienced high versus low levels of subjective social isolation (loneliness). Genes linked to ...
Sunbathing may protect against MS.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A study from California has examined the influence of childhood sun exposure on the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in monozygotic twins. Seventy-nine twin pairs were identified where there was a quantifiable difference in sun exposure between the pair and where only one twin had MS. A ...
Migraines may be associated with specific personality types.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Italian researchers compared 105 patients suffering from migraine without aura with a control group of 79 healthy subjects using psychometric questionnaires. Migraine patients were found to show more depressive symptoms, more difficulty with anger management with a tendency to ...
Tai chi for balance.(News)(Report)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Two more studies have confirmed the value of tai chi for improving balance in the elderly. The first looked at the effects of an 18-week tai chi training in 25 men (intervention group), compared to 24 controls (aged 60 to 82.1 years) all of whom had osteoporosis or osteopaenia. There was a ...
Exercise and education beneficial for fibromyalgia.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... A randomised controlled study of 207 American women with fibromyalgia has found that progressive walking, simple strength training movements, and stretching activities improve functional status, key symptoms and self-efficacy. The benefits of ...
Tai chi enhances flu shot.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Researchers in the USA have found that a combination of tai chi and qigong (TQ) can enhance older adults' immune responses to the flu vaccine. A group of 50 adults in their 70s, were randomised TQ or no exercise. The TQ group attended three one-hour classes per week, consisting of tai chi ...
Qigong and exercise therapy both reduce chronic neck pain.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Qigong and exercise therapy are both effective at reducing chronic neck pain. 122 patients, mean age 44, with long-term, nonspecific neck pain were randomised to either group qigong lessons, or individualised exercise therapy. Patients received a maximum of 12 treatments over three months ....
Meditation helps with chronic back pain.(News)
Feb 01, 2008 ... In a US pilot study, 37 adults over 65 with moderate chronic low back pain were randomised to an eight week mindfulness-based meditation programme, or a wait list control. Pain, physical function and quality of life were assessed at baseline, eight weeks and three months. Compared ...
Tai chi as good as brisk walking.(News)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... Tai chi is as effective as a brisk walk in raising heart rate variability (HRV). A Korean crossover study recruited 24 volunteers between 24 and 35 years. Subjects either walked on a treadmill at six kilometres an hour (just under three miles per hour) or performed tai chi for 20 minutes ...