Acupuncture Relieves Facial Nerve Pain

New research concludes that acupuncture is effective in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is characterized by intense pain in the face and is considered one of the most painful experiences a human can possibly experience. It is estimated that one in 15,000 people suffer from trigeminal neuralgia. TN is a disorder of the trigeminal nerve, which is a bilaterally paired cranial nerve with three branches: ophthalmic nerve, maxillary nerve and the mandibular nerve. The trigeminal nerve is responsible for sensing pressure (tactition), temperature (thermoception) and pain (nociception). It is also involved in facial motor function for the muscles of mastication.

The study focuses specifically on Liver Yang excess type trigeminal neuralgia and compares deep needling with shallow needling acupuncture techniques. The acupuncture points used in the study are St7 (Xiaguan), LI4 (Hegu), LV3 (Taichong), UB2 (Zanzhu), St2 (Sibai) and Jiachengjiang (M-HN-18). In both the shallow needle and deep needle groups, electroacupuncture was applied for 30 minutes bilaterally to the acupoints every other day. In the deep acupuncture needle group, the needle depth reached the spheno-palatine ganglion (SPG) at St7 and the supraorbital foramen, infraorbital foramen and mental foramen for other points used in the research. In the deep needling group, the total effective rate was 93.8 percent. In the shallow needling group, the total effective rate was 87.1 percent. The researchers concluded that electroacupuncture is effective for relieving pain due to trigeminal neuralgia and that deep needling is more effective than shallow needling.

Reference

Trigeminal neuralgia of hyperactive of liver yang type treated with acupuncture at Xiaguan (ST 7) at different depth: a randomized controlled trial. HE Lan, ZHOU Wan-yu, ZHANG Xiu-mei. TCM Department,The Third Hospital Affiliated to Beijing University,Beijing,China; Department of Ophthalmology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences

Source: http://www.healthcmi.com/index.php/acupuncturist-news-online/513-acupuncturefacialnervepaintn

Effectiveness of acupuncture and bee venom acupuncture in idiopathic Parkinson's disease

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of both acupuncture and bee venom acupuncture as adjuvant therapies for idiopathic Parkinson's disease. We recruited 43 adults with idiopathic Parkinson's disease who had been on a stable dose of antiparkinsonian medication for at least 1 month. They were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: acupuncture, bee venom acupuncture, or control. All participants were assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, the Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Berg Balance Scale, and the time and number of steps required to walk 30m. Treatment groups underwent stimulation of 10 acupuncture points using acupuncture or bee venom acupuncture twice a week for 8 weeks. The initial assessment was repeated at the completion of treatment. The control group did not receive any treatment. Participants in the bee venom acupuncture group showed significant improvement on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (total score, as well as parts II and III individually), the Berg Balance Scale, and the 30m walking time. When compared to the control group, the bee venom acupuncture group experienced significantly greater improvement on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. In the acupuncture group, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (part III and total scores) and the Beck Depression Inventory showed significant improvement. The control group showed no significant changes in any outcome after 8 weeks. In this pilot study, both acupuncture and bee venom acupuncture showed promising results as adjuvant therapies for Parkinson's disease.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22632852

Acupuncture Treats Headaches

New research published in the Annals of Oncology (Oxford University Press, Oxford Journals) concludes that acupuncture is effective for relieving dry mouth caused by cancer radiation therapy. A sample size of 145 patients with chronic radiation induced xerostomia, dry mouth, was studied in a randomized investigation of acupuncture treatments compared with oral care education. The researchers noted that acupuncture was superior to oral care and produced pronounced and clinically significant results.
The researchers documented that acupuncture significantly reduced severe dry mouth, reduced issues of sticky saliva and reduced the need for patients to sip fluids to swallow food. Acupuncture also significantly reduced the need to wake up at night to drink. The researchers concluded that eight acupuncture treatments performed at a rate of one per week was superior to oral care education for the relief of xerostomia induced by cancer radiation therapy.
In a related case history published by the Medical College of Wisconsin in the Journal of Cancer Therapeutics & Research, researchers conclude that acupuncture reduces chemotherapy and radiation treatment side effects. The study demonstrated that acupuncture reduced painful swallowing and dry mouth that resulted from chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture were used. Stomach and Large Intestine Yangming channel points used in the study were: ST3, ST4, ST5, ST6, ST7, ST36, LI4 and LI11. Shaoyang, Taiyang, Taiyin, Ren and Du points were also used: SI18, SI19, GB2, GB3, SP6, GV20, CV23, CV24. Ear acupuncture points Shenmen and Point Zero were also included. Electroacupuncture was applied to ST5, ST6 and ST7 bilaterally for some acupuncture treatments and to ST3 and ST4 as well. The acupuncture needles were 15mm and 25mm in length respectively and the needle depth ranged from 0.25cm to 1cm. Electroacupuncture was set to 30Hz with an amplitude adjusted for patient tolerances.
In another related study, researchers concluded that acupuncture significantly relieves hiccups for patients with late-stage cancer. A total of thirty patients were included in the investigation. Ten improved markedly, eighteen patients demonstrated improvement and two patients did not respond to acupuncture therapy. The total effective rate for the acupuncture therapy exceeded 93 percent.
These three recent investigations suggest that acupuncture plays an important role in supporting patients with cancer. Patient comfort and bodily functions were shown to improve markedly. The amelioration of chemotherapy and radiation side effects serves to relieve suffering and improve the quality of life for cancer patients.
Reference:
Simcock, R., L. Fallowfield, K. Monson, I. Solis-Trapala, L. Parlour, C. Langridge, and V. Jenkins. "ARIX: A randomised trial of acupuncture v oral care sessions in patients with chronic xerostomia following treatment of head and neck cancer." Annals of Oncology 24, no. 3 (2013): 776-783.
Author Affiliations:
Department of Oncology, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust, Sussex Cancer Centre, Brighton.
Sussex Health Outcomes Research and Education in Cancer (SHORE-C), Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton.
MRC Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, Cambridge, UK.
Colorado, Berdale, and Hong Wu. "Acupuncture for the relief of odynophagia and xerostomia after chemoradiation therapy in oropharyngeal cancer: a case report." (2013).
Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, Volume 10, Number 2 (2012), 117-119, DOI: 10.1007/s11726-012-0585-x. Electroacupuncture combined with auricular point sticking for hiccups in late-stage cancer. Xia-ping Shao