Recently in benefits of acupuncture Category

Basic TCM Knowledge regarding Osteoarthritis of the Knee In Traditional Chinese Medicine

Osteoarthritis (Degenerative Joint Disease) is mostly related to Fixed Bi and Painful Bi.

Fixed Bi Syndrome: The chief manifestations include pain and heavy sensation in the relatively fixed areas of body limbs or joints, numbness of the muscles, aggravation of the condition in rainy days, white greasy tongue coating, and soft slow pulse.

Painful Bi Syndrome: The chief manifestations include severe pain in the limbs and joints as if being stabbed or pricked. In the worst cases, there is fixed pain that is alleviated by warmth but aggravated by cold, better in the daytime but worse at night, limited movements of the joints, no local redness nor feverish sensation, cold sensation in the affected parts, thin white tongue coating, wiry tense pulse.

Pathogenesis

Wind, cold and dampness invasion causes the blockage of the Qi and blood in the meridian. In modern medicine, it is related to aging, endocrine disorder as well as trauma and improper posture.

Clinical manifestations
 
The onset of osteoarthritis of the knee is insidious. Initially, there is articular stiffness, seldom lasting more than 15 minutes; this develops later into pain on motion of the affected joint(s) and is made worse by activity or weight bearing and relieved by rest. Deformity may be absent or minimal; however, varus deformity of the knee is not unusual.

Imaging

Radiographs may reveal narrowing of the joint space, sharpened articular margin, osteophyte formation and lipping of the marginal bone, and thickened, dense subchondral bone. Bone cysts may also be present.

Major pattern differentiation

Fixed Bi:
Pain fixed in the knee joint accompanied by heaviness, stiffness and numbness, sometimes slight swelling.

Painful Bi:
Severe pain in the knee joint, aggravated by cold and alleviated by heat.

Treatment Principle:
Expel wind, Cold and dampness, improve the meridian circulation and regulate Qi and blood.

Major Acupuncture points and needle techniques

Acupuncture points for knee:
Xiyan (Ex.), Dubi (ST35), Zusanli (ST 36), Yanglingquan (GB 34)

Alternative Therapies:

Auricular therapy
Corresponding area (Knee), Sympathetic, Shenmen


Subcutaneous needling therapy
Select local point or tender points
Seven-star needle tapping and cupping

Read paper on Osteoarthritis of the Knee for Rachel Peterman's Clinical Acupuncture Practice II class at New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Mineola, NY.

She gives an overview of Osteoarthritis of the knee, and Western and TCM treatment approaches.

Rachel H. Peterman, M.S., DHEd(c), J.D.

Osteoarthritis of the Knee.pdf

For Women With PCOS, Acupuncture And Exercise May Bring Relief, Reduce Risks

By: The American Physiological Society Study finds acupuncture and exercise decrease a key marker for disease

Exercise and electro-acupuncture treatments reduce sympathetic nerve activity in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), according to a new study. The finding is important because women with PCOS often have elevated sympathetic nerve activity, which plays a role in hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, obesity and cardiovascular disease. 

The study also found that the electro-acupuncture treatments led to more regular menstrual cycles, reduced testosterone levels and reduced waist circumference.

The full article is reprinted at Acufinder.com

Resource:

Stener-Victorin et al. Low-frequency Electro-Acupuncture and Physical Exercise Decrease High Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 2009; DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00197.2009

The study has some limitations, including a small sample size, so further research is necessary, the authors wrote. To find the full study, click here

The Benefits of Acupuncture for Cancer Patients

Those coping with cancer and other forms of disease often look to acupuncture and other alternative therapies to provide relief for pain, stress and anxiety. Practiced as early as the Stone Age, acupuncture has been a source of relief for numerous conditions for thousands of years. The exact way the technique was discovered or developed is not well-understood, but one legend claims that Chinese soldiers receiving arrow wounds in battle reported relief from pain in other body parts, which inspired further research.

Acupuncture

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) defines acupuncture as the "application of stimulation such as needling, moxibustion, cupping, and acupressure on specific sites of the body known as acupuncture points." They report that acupuncture may work by inducing physical response in nerve cells, the pituitary gland and certain parts of the brain.

Some notable conditions that acupuncture has been known to treat include allergies, gastrointestinal conditions, back pain, migraines and infertility. Some proponents of modern Western medicine continue to doubt the effects of acupuncture, but a growing body of scientific evidence has prompted many medical professionals to consider the benefits of this treatment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) published a scientific review of controlled clinical trials on acupuncture in 2003, and concluded it was an effective method of treatment for 28 conditions. Some of the listed conditions include adverse reactions to radiotherapy or chemotherapy, depression, hypertension, nausea and vomiting, and postoperative pain. They also found evidence that suggests acupuncture could be effective for several dozen more conditions, including abdominal pain, cancer pain, insomnia and whooping cough. Due to the relief of symptoms associated with cancer, breast, colon and mesothelioma cancer patients, among others, have turned to acupuncture for relief of their cancer symptoms and side effects.

Acupuncture and Cancer

Acupuncture can be used as an additional and complimentary treatment for the side effects that cancer patients experience, such as overall pain and nausea (caused by other cancer treatments like chemotherapy). NCI reports that clinical studies of acupuncture as a treatment for cancer show that acupuncture can reduce vomiting and nausea caused by chemotherapy. They also found that acupuncture may improve the immune system, helping cancer patients to fight their condition and its side effects.

The physical responses acupuncture can induce in nerve cells, the pituitary gland and parts of the brain can cause the body to release hormones, proteins and certain brain chemicals that affect a range of bodily functions. Through this response, it is proposed that acupuncture can affect blood pressure and body temperature, enhance immune system function, and prompts the body to release natural pain killers (such as endorphins).

Considered a natural form of treatment, acupuncture can help to treat side effects of cancers that are caused by exposure to natural, environmental forces, such as UV rays, radon or the toxic mineral asbestos. Clinical research currently suggests that a number of cancers are caused by exposure to environmental forces in those who happen to be genetically predisposed. A notable example includes skin cancer, but other lesser-known cancers, including the rare cancer mesothelioma, are also caused by exposure to environmental toxins. Asbestos exposure is one of the only mesothelioma causes and it is even linked to ovarian and prostate cancer. Patients coping with the symptoms and side effects of these cancers have reported relief after receiving acupuncture.

Though the benefits of acupuncture are still questioned by some medical professionals, numerous cancer patients have attested to the healing effects of this age-old treatment approach. Acupuncture, along with other forms of alternative medicine such as massage, meditation and yoga, have certainly gained support from countless cancer patients, and clinical trials continue to provide scientific evidence of the benefits of this treatment.