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Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of acupuncture treatment on dry eye syndrome. Design: This was a prospective observational study. Setting: The study was conducted at a clinical evaluation center for acupuncture and moxibustion of the Korean Institute of Oriental Medicine, Republic of Korea. Subjects: The subjects were patients with dry eye disease ( N = 36), defined by Schirmer test scores of <10 mm/5 min and tear film break-up times (BUTs) of <10 seconds. Treatments: Participants were treated with acupuncture three times per week for 4 weeks. Measure of effectiveness: Schirmer test scores, BUTs, symptom scores, ocular surface disease index (OSDI) scores and dry eye symptom questionnaires were compared before and after treatment to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture treatment. Results: After treatment, symptom scores, OSDI scores and the number of dry eye symptoms were all significantly lower ( p < 0.0001). Although tear wettings were significantly higher (left: p < 0.0001, right: p = 0.0012), there were no significant differences in BUTs. Conclusions: This study suggests that acupuncture treatment can effectively relieve the symptoms of dry eye and increase watery secretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the adverse events associated with acupuncture using a standard record form in order to identify the risks of acupuncture therapy and assess their causes. Methods: Thirteen (13) Oriental medicine doctors volunteered to report the number of acupuncture treatment sessions administered and patients encountered every week. When adverse events occurred, these doctors reported it using a record form that we created. The record form contained six major items to be filled out: patient, acupuncture treatment, adverse event, causality, person reporting the incident, and acupuncturist. Results: In 5 weeks, the 13 Oriental medicine doctors in our study conducted 3071 acupuncture treatment sessions on 2226 patients. A total of 99 adverse events were reported, which is a rate of 3.2 events per 100 treatments. Common adverse events were hemorrhage (32%), hematoma (28%), and needle site pain (13%). Of the 99 treatments during which an adverse events occurred, 64 treatments were ended, and 62 of the adverse events diminished or disappeared. Of the 35 remaining cases of adverse events in which treatment was continued, 28 patients had their adverse events diminish or disappear. Causality assessment suggested that 47% of adverse events were certainly caused by acupuncture, 45% were probably/likely caused by acupuncture, 7% were possibly caused by acupuncture, and only 1% of events were unassessable/unclassifiable. Conclusions: Although acupuncture was associated with adverse events, there were no serious adverse events experienced by patients this study. If acupuncture treatment is administered by a practitioner with enough experience and is conducted in accordance with established guidelines, it is a safe treatment method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to observe the effects of acupuncture for hot flashes in postmenopausal hemodialysis-dependent women. Methods: Two postmenopausal hemodialysis-dependent women were treated with individualized manual acupuncture for 1 and 3 months to reduce the occurrence of hot flashes and were observed through 7 and 11 months, respectively, from baseline. Results: Hot flashes were significantly improved after acupuncture treatment in both of the patients, and the effects persisted through the final observation period (hot flash scores decreased from 57 to 33 and 22 at 1 and 11 months from baseline in patient 1, and from 14 to 6 and zero at 1 and 7 months from baseline in patient 2). The beneficial effects of acupuncture on quality of life were partially observed in these 2 patients. No acupuncture-related serious adverse events occurred during the study. Conclusions: Further controlled studies need to be conducted among larger samples to determine whether acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment for hot flashes in postmenopausal hemodialysis-dependent women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Acupuncture has been used traditionally as a treatment for functional dyspepsia (FD). The goal of this trial was to examine the efficacy of acupuncture at classical points and nondefined points as a treatment for functional dyspepsia. Methods: Sixty-eight (68) patients with functional dyspepsia, as defined by Rome-II criteria, were randomized into two groups: classical six-point acupuncture and nondefined-point acupuncture. Acupuncture was conducted three times per week for 2 weeks in a single-blind setting. To assess the effects of acupuncture, symptoms and quality of life were scored according to the Nepean Dyspepsia Index before and after acupuncture treatments. Results: Acupuncture treatment significantly decreased the dyspepsia symptoms and improved the quality of life. There was no statistical difference between the acupuncture groups treated at classical and nondefined points. Conclusions: Our data show that both acupunctures at classical points and nondefined points improved the symptoms of patients with FD. However, we cannot rule out the possibilities of placebo effect in this trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although acupuncture has been widely used for complementary therapeutic approaches to treat inflammatory diseases and inflammation-induced pain, the potential anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture treatment remain controversial in clinical trials, and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Objective: The objective was to determine whether electroacupuncture (EA) is able to suppress the peripheral inflammatory response (e.g., zymosan-induced leukocyte migration into air pouch). As part of a mechanistic approach, it was further evaluated whether endogenous opioid systems are involved in the "EA-induced anti-inflammatory effect" (EA-AI). Methods: EA (1 or 120 Hz) was performed bilaterally in the Zusanli acupoint (ST36) or in a nonacupoint (gluteal muscle) for 30 min in ICR mice under anesthetic condition. The number of leukocytes that migrated into the air pouch was counted 4 hours after zymosan injection. EA was performed at 0, 0.5, 1, or 2 hours prior to zymosan injection, respectively. To evaluate opioid involvement in EA-AI, intrathecal naloxone (36 μg/mouse) and intraperitoneal naloxone methiodide (30 mg/kg) were administered 10 min before EA stimulation. Results: Both the 1 and 120 Hz frequencies of EA into Zusanli acupoint at the same time with zymosan injection significantly reduced leukocyte migration into the air pouch as compared with those of control groups (i.e., anesthetic control and needling control into Zusanli acupoint without electrical stimulation). The EA stimulation into nonacupoint did not produce any significant anti-inflammatory effect. EA treatment at 0.5 hours prior to zymosan injection also produced an anti-inflammatory effect but 1 and 2 hours prior to zymosan injection did not elicit any effect. Peripheral opioid blockage significantly reversed EA-AI, whereas spinal opioid blockage did not alter EA-AI. Conclusion: EA can suppress peripheral inflammation through a peripheral opioid mechanism. To achieve the full effectiveness of EA, repeated application is recommended for the treatment of a variety of inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]