Acupuncture News and Research

Latest Acupuncture News and Research

Patients with chronic low-back pain can benefit from spinal manipulation

If you're suffering from chronic lower back pain, a new review of existing research finds that spinal manipulation − the kind of hands-on regimen that a chiropractor might perform on you − is as helpful as other common treatments like painkillers.

15 Feb 2011

Acupuncture and exercise help women with PCOS

Acupuncture and physical exercise improve hormone levels and menstrual bleeding pattern in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), reveals research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

7 Feb 2011

Physiotherapy Associates opens new clinic in Silver Spring

Physiotherapy Associates, the nation's foremost provider of outpatient rehabilitation services, announces the opening of a new physical therapy clinic in Silver Spring, MD.

4 Feb 2011

Training more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs in treating tennis elbow

Training and ergonomic advice are more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs and cortisone injections in treating tennis elbow, and give fewer side effects. This is the conclusion of a thesis presented at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

21 Dec 2010

Sound masking therapy is of uncertain benefit when used alone to treat tinnitus

Tinnitus — what many think of as "ringing in the ears" — is the perception of sound without any real acoustic stimulation. Sound masking therapy, a common component of tinnitus treatment, is of uncertain benefit when used on its own, a new evidence review finds.

10 Dec 2010

WHO to create an evidence base for traditional medicine

WHO will develop, for the first time, a classification of traditional medicine, paving the way for the objective evaluation of its benefits.

7 Dec 2010

New study evaluates use and safety of complementary medicine for children's asthma

Approximately 13 percent of parents turn to alternative therapies to treat their children's asthma, according to a new study from the Universit- de Montr-al. The findings, published recently in the Canadian Respiratory Journal, suggest that this trend is associated with a two-fold higher rate of poor asthma control in children.

1 Dec 2010

Functional MRI reveals effectiveness of acupuncture in relieving pain

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers have captured pictures of the brain while patients experienced a pain stimulus with and without acupuncture to determine acupuncture's effect on how the brain processes pain. Results of the study, which the researchers say suggest the effectiveness of acupuncture, were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

30 Nov 2010

American Specialty Health wins Silver California Fit Business Award for fourth time

Health and wellness company American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH) announced that it had received a Silver California Fit Business Award for the fourth time from the California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness.

9 Nov 2010

Study confirms acupuncture as a viable tool for weight loss

Could a few pinpricks make someone thinner. Evidence weighs heavily in favor of that proposition, according to the results of a new study to be presented at the Pacific Symposium in San Diego this week. The groundbreaking study, "The Effects of Acupuncture on Weight-Loss in Over-Weight and Obese Adults Over 24 Years Old," reports that 95 percent of its subjects lost weight in a six-week period after receiving regular acupuncture treatments. Of those subjects, another 50 percent continued to lose weight after treatments stopped.

2 Nov 2010

AAAOM, NCCAOM respond to report on cause of deaths due to improper acupuncture treatments

The American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM) and the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) are collaborating to respond to a recent report by British professor Edzard Ernst, published in The Guardian, claiming improperly trained acupuncture treatments have been the cause of deaths over the past 45 years.

2 Nov 2010

American Psychological Association blocking therapists from learning effective treatments for PTSD

In the wake of enormous controversy about its role in the participation of psychologists in the use of torture to extract information from prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and in other parts of the world, an interview just carried by Truthout reveals a new round of criticism that has been directed toward the American Psychological Association (APA).

1 Nov 2010

More effective therapeutic exercises underutilized in treatment of chronic neck pain

Duke University and University of North Carolina (UNC) researchers report in the November issue of Arthritis Care & Research that narcotics and diagnostic testing are overused in treating chronic neck pain. Their findings indicate clinicians may overlook more effective treatments for neck pain, such as therapeutic exercise. According to reviews cited in the study, evidence to support the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise in treating chronic neck pain is good, yet only 53% of subjects were prescribed such exercise.

28 Oct 2010

Annals of Internal Medicine raises concerns over placebo standard

Much of medicine is based on what is considered the strongest possible evidence: The placebo-controlled trial. A paper published in the October 19 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine - entitled "What's In Placebos: Who Knows" calls into question this foundation upon which much of medicine rests, by showing that there is no standard behind the standard no standard for the placebo.

19 Oct 2010

New approach to provide long lasting relief for headache

Most physicians are treating the symptom of headache using medication. Patients often receive temporary relief from the medication but it does not deal with the cause of the headache. The drug companies are sponsoring research programs to test their drugs in conjunction with most "Headache Facilities."

8 Oct 2010

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research announces awards totaling $10.1M

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research announced awards totaling approximately $10.1 million for five new clinical studies and 14 pre-clinical therapeutic development projects. The funding includes $2.5 million to drive four new clinical trials under the Clinical Intervention Awards, one of the Foundation's Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research.

6 Oct 2010

Study finds acupuncture is not effective in stroke recovery

Acupuncture does not appear to aid in stroke recovery, according to a new study published in CMAJ. This study, perhaps the most comprehensive to date as it includes trials published in English language and Asian journals, was a systematic review conducted by researchers in South Korea and the United Kingdom.

28 Sep 2010

Yoga, Tai Chi effective in treating fibromyalgia

This syndrome is often accompanied by fatigue, bowel disturbances, and urinary difficulty. Fibromyalgia can affect your daily activity, your sleep, and even your thinking when you're worn out and experiencing "brain fog." That's a term used by Henri Roca, MD, Medical Director at Greenwich Hospital's Center for Integrative Medicine in Cos Cob, Connecticut.

24 Sep 2010

Scientific update conference on Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases

Lyme disease is a growing threat in the U.S., with numbers that continue to rise despite increased awareness about the disease. "Little is being done to stop the spread of Lyme disease and to help those who are suffering from chronic Lyme," says Pat Smith, president of the all-volunteer national Lyme Disease Association, which funds research, educates the public, and provides scientific conferences for doctors.

20 Sep 2010

Laser acupuncture a plausible treatment for depression

Acupuncture produces significant changes in parts of the brain that regulate emotional states and is a biologically plausible treatment for depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders, Australian researchers have shown for the first time.

13 Sep 2010