Search

To compare the effects between electroacupuncture (EA) at Chize (LU 5, the He-Sea point of the Lung Meridian) and Shangjuxu (ST 37, the lower He-Sea point of the large intestine) in rats with ulcerative colitis (UC) on the variations of mesenteric microcirculation and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in the colon, lung, and hypothalamus. The relative specificity of acupoints was also explored. A total of 28 male Wistar rats were randomized into a normal group, a model group, a Chize (LU 5) group and a Shangjuxu (ST 37) group, 7 rats in each group. The UC model was established by enema with acetic acid. Since the third day after modeling, rats in the Chize (LU 5) group and Shangjuxu (ST 37) group respectively received EA at Chize (LU 5) and Shangjuxu (ST 37), 15 min each time for successive 7 d. The variations of mesenteric microvascular calibers and blood flow status were observed by a microcirculation microscopic tester; VIP in the colon, lung and hypothalamus was measured by radioimmunoassay. Compared with the normal group, the mesenteric microvascular calibers were significantly expanded in the model group (P 0.05); compared with the model group and Chize (LU 5) group, the calibers were obviously shrunk in Shangjuxu (ST 37) group (P 0.05). The colonic VIP levels in the model group and Chize (LU 5) group were significantly higher than that in the normal group (P 0.05). The effects of Chize (LU 5) and Shangjuxu (ST 37) were different in treating UC. Shangjuxu (ST 37) showed a more significant efficacy in down-regulating VIP in the colon and regulating mesenteric microcirculation, while the effects of Chize (LU 5) were not obvious.

Background Acupuncture is often used for primary dysmenorrhea. But there is no convincing evidence due to low methodological quality. We aim to assess immediate effect of acupuncture at specific acupoint compared with unrelated acupoint and nonacupoint on primary dysmenorrhea. Methods The Acupuncture Analgesia Effect in Primary Dysmenorrhoea-II is a multicenter controlled trial conducted in six large hospitals of China. Patients who met inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to classic acupoint (N = 167), unrelated acupoint (N = 167), or non-acupoint (N = 167) group on a 1:1:1 basis. They received three sessions with electro-acupuncture at a classic acupoint (Sanyinjiao, SP6), or an unrelated acupoint (Xuanzhong, GB39), or nonacupoint location, respectively. The primary outcome was subjective pain as measured by a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). Measurements were obtained at 0, 5, 10, 30, and 60 minutes following the first intervention. In addition, patients scored changes of general complaints using Cox retrospective symptom scales (RSS-Cox) and 7-point verbal rating scale (VRS) during three menstrual cycles. Secondary outcomes included VAS score for average pain, pain total time, additional in-bed time, and proportion of participants using analgesics during three menstrual cycles. Findings Five hundred and one people underwent random assignment. The primary comparison of VAS scores following the first intervention demonstrated that classic acupoint group was more effective both than unrelated acupoint (−4.0 mm, 95% CI −7.1 to −0.9, P = 0.010) and nonacupoint (−4.0 mm, 95% CI −7.0 to −0.9, P = 0.012) groups. However, no significant differences were detected among the three acupuncture groups for RSS-Cox or VRS outcomes. The per-protocol analysis showed similar pattern. No serious adverse events were noted. Conclusion Specific acupoint acupuncture produced a statistically, but not clinically, significant effect compared with unrelated acupoint and nonacupoint acupuncture in primary dysmenorrhea patients. Future studies should focus on effects of multiple points acupuncture on primary dysmenorrhea.

Background. Acupuncture is often used for primary dysmenorrhea. Objective. To assess the efficacy of a single point of acupuncture in the management of primary dysmenorrhea compared with sham acupuncture and no acupuncture. Methodology. Patients with primary dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned to acupoint group ( n = 50), unrelated acupoint group ( n = 50), nonacupoint group ( n = 46), or no acupuncture group ( n = 48). Acupuncture and sham acupuncture were administered once-daily for 3 days with electro-acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6) that was specifically designed to treat primary dysmenorrhea, or an unrelated acupoint (Xuanzhong, GB39), or nonacupoint location. The primary outcome was pain intensity as measured by a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) at baseline; 5, 10, 30, and 60 minutes following the start of the first intervention. Cox retrospective symptom scale (RSS), verbal rating scale (VRS), pain total time, and proportion of participants using analgesics were also recorded during three menstrual cycles. Results. The primary comparison of VAS scores demonstrated that patients receiving acupuncture (−15.56 mm, 95% CI −22.16 to −8.95, P < 0.001), unrelated acupoint (−18.14 mm, 95% CI −24.81 to −11.47, P < 0.001), and nonacupoint (−10.96 mm, 95% CI −17.62 to −4.30, P = 0.001) treatment presented significant improvements compared with no acupuncture group. There were no significant differences among the four groups with respect to secondary outcomes. Conclusion. Acupuncture was better than no acupuncture for relieving the pain of dysmenorrhea following a single point of acupuncture, but no differences were detected between acupoint acupuncture and unrelated acupoint acupuncture, acupoint acupuncture and nonacupoint acupuncture.

The objective of this study was to compare immediate effect of acupuncture at SP6 on uterine arterial blood flow in primary dysmenorrhea with that of GB39.This was a prospective, randomized clinical trial.Sixty-six (66) patients with primary dysmenorrhea from the Affiliated Hospital of Shangdong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were recruited.The SP6 group (n =32) was treated with manual acupuncture at bilateral SP6 for 5 minutes after obtaining needling sensation (de qi) during the period of menstrual pain, whereas the control group (n = 34) was needled at GB39 of both sides for 5 minutes when they suffered menstrual pain.Differences in pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI), and ratio of systolic peak and diastolic peak (A/B) in uterine arteries were the main outcome measures.Highly significant reductions were observed in the SP6 treatment group 5 minutes after treatment in menstrual pain scores (8.17 ± 1.90 versus 11.20 ± 2.66; p0.001), values of PI (1.75 ± 0.48 versus 2.32 ± 0.70; p0.001), RI (0.72 ± 0.11 versus 0.78 ± 0.07; p0.001), and A/B (4.33 ± 1.37 versus 5.23 ± 1.67; p0.001). Compared with the GB39 control group, patients in the SP6 treatment group showed significant reductions in 5 minutes after treatment in the changes of menstrual pain scores (3.03 ± 2.36 versus 0.00 ± 0.29; p0.001), values of PI (0.57 ± 0.42 versus -0.10 ± 0.58; p0.001), RI (0.06 ± 0.08 versus -0.03 ± 0.15; p0.01), and A/B (0.90 ± 0.87 versus 0.23 ± 1.02; p0.01). There were no significant changes in menstrual pain scores, values of PI, RI, or A/B before and after treatment in the GB39 control group (p0.05). No adverse events from treatment were reported.This study suggests that needling at SP6 can immediately improve uterine arterial blood flow of patients with primary dysmenorrhea, while GB39 does not have these effects.

Deqi, according to traditional Chinese medicine, is a specific needle sensation during the retention of needles at certain acupoints and is considered to be necessary to produce therapeutic effects from acupuncture. Although some modern researches have showed that Deqi is essential for producing acupuncture analgesia and anesthesia, the data are not enough. It is a paper of a multicenter, randomized controlled study protocol, to evaluate the influences of Deqi on acupuncture SP6 in Cold and Dampness Stagnation pattern primary dysmenorrhea patients, in terms of reducing pain and anxiety, and to find out the relationship between Deqi and the temperature changes at SP6 (Sanyinjiao) and CV4 (Guanyuan). The results of this trial will be helpful to explain the role of Deqi in acupuncture analgesia and may provide a new objective index for measuring Deqi in the future study. This trial is registered withChiCTR-TRC-13003086.

Acupuncture-related therapies might be an effective intervention for primary dysmenorrhea.To evaluate the effects of acupuncture-related therapies for treating primary dysmenorrhea.A specified literature search was performed of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI, and CBM databases.All clinical controlled trials pertaining to acupuncture-related therapies for primary dysmenorrhea were included, and the quality of the trials was assessed.Two independent reviewers were responsible for data extraction and assessment. The original data of each trial were analyzed with software (Revman 4.2), but a meta-analysis could not be carried out because of the heterogeneity of the trials.Thirty randomized controlled trails (RCTs) and two controlled clinical trials (CCTs) were identified. Most of the trials were of low methodologic quality (six trials were Grade B and 26 trials were Grade C). Data analysis indicated that there were conflicting results regarding whether acupuncture-related therapies were more effective than control treatments. However, there was a small, methodologic sound trial of acupuncture which suggested that acupuncture was more effective than control groups (placebo acupuncture: WMD=-0.57 and 95% CI=-0.76-0.38; standard control: WMD=-.19 and 95% CI=-0.37-0.01; visitation control: WMD=-1.04 and 95% CI=-1.28-0.80).Because of low methodologic quality and small sample size, there is no convincing evidence for acupuncture in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. There is an urgent need for randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trials to assess the effects of acupuncture.