RECENT RESEARCH
Acupuncture and TCM
Lam TF , Lyu Z , Wu X . et al . Electro-acupuncture for central obesity : a patient-assessor blinded , randomized sham-controlled clinical trial . BMC Complement Med Ther . 2024 ; 24 , 62 . https :// doi . org / 10.1186 / s12906-024-04340-5
Background : Central obesity is considered as a significant health threat to individuals . Scientific research has demonstrated that intra-abdominal fat accumulation is associated with higher metabolic and cardiovascular disease risks independent of Body Mass Index ( BMI ). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of electro-acupuncture in treating central obesity compared with sham acupuncture .
Method : This was a patient-assessor blinded , randomized , sham-controlled clinical trial . One hundred sixty eight participants aged between 18 and 65 years old with BMI ≥ 25 kg / m2 and waist circumference ( WC ) of men ≥ 90 cm / women ≥ 80 cm were enrolled and allocated to the acupuncture or sham acupuncture group equally . For the acupuncture group , disposable acupuncture needles were inserted into eight body acupoints , including Tianshu ( ST-25 ), Daheng ( SP-15 ), Daimai ( GB- 26 ), Qihai ( CV-6 ), Zhongwan ( CV-12 ), Zusanli ( ST-36 ), Fenglong ( ST-40 ), and Sanyinjiao ( SP-6 ) with electrical stimulation . For the control group , Streitberger ’ s non-invasive acupuncture needles were utilized at the same acupoints with identical stimulation modalities . The treatment duration was 8 weeks with 2 sessions per week and the follow-up period was 8 weeks . The primary outcome was the change in WC before and after the treatment . The secondary outcomes were the changes in hip circumference , waistto-hip circumference ratio , BMI , and body fat percentage during the treatment and follow-up period .
Results : The acupuncture group displayed a significant change in WC compared to the sham group both treatment and follow-up period ( MD = -1.1 cm , 95 % CI = -2.8 to 4.1 ). Significant change in body fat percentage was recorded for both groups after treatment but no significance was observed during the follow-up period ( MD = -0.1 %, 95 % CI = -1.9 to 2.2 ). The changes in hip circumference were also significant both treatment and followup period for the acupuncture group ( MD = -2.0 cm , 95 % CI = -3.7 to -1.7 ). Compared with sham acupuncture , the body weight ( MD = -1 kg , 95 % CI = -3.3 to 5.3 ), BMI ( MD = -0.5 , 95 % CI = -0.7 to 1.9 ) also decreased significantly within and between groups . The incidence of adverse events was similar in the two groups .
Conclusion : This study provided evidence that electro-acupuncture could be effective in treating central obesity by reducing WC , hip circumference , body weight , BMI , and waist-to-hip circumference ratio .
Safdari A , Khazaei S , Biglarkhani M . et al . Effect of acupressure on pain intensity and physiological indices in patients undergoing extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy : a randomized doubleblind sham-controlled clinical trial . BMC Complement Med Ther . 2024 ; 24 , 55 . https :// doi . org / 10.1186 / s12906-024-04360-1
Background : Despite the widespread use of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy ( ESWL ) as a treatment for kidney stones , it is essential to apply methods to control pain and improve patient comfort during this procedure . Therefore , this study aimed to investigate the effect of acupressure at the Qiu point on pain intensity and physiological indices in patients undergoing ESWL .
Methods : This randomized , shamcontrolled clinical trial was conducted at the Shahid Beheshti Educationalmedical Center in Hamadan City ( western Iran ) from May to August 2023 . Seventy-four eligible patients were split into intervention ( n = 37 ) and sham ( n = 37 ) groups . Ten minutes before lithotripsy , the intervention group received acupressure at the Qiu point , while the sham group received touch at a neutral point . The primary outcomes were pain intensity measured by the Visual Analog Scale ( VAS ) and physiological indices such as blood pressure and heart rate at baseline , 1 , 10 , 20 , 30 , 40 , and 50 min after the intervention . The secondary outcomes included lithotripsy success and satisfaction with acupressure application .
Results : The analysis of 70 patients showed no significant differences in the demographic and clinical information of the patients across the two groups before the study ( P > 0.05 ). Generalized estimating equations revealed that the interaction effects of time and group in pain and heart rate were significant at 30 and 40 min ( P < 0.05 ). The results of this analysis for systolic blood pressure revealed a significant interaction at 30 min ( P = 0.035 ). However , no significant interaction effects were found for diastolic blood pressure changes ( P > 0.05 ).
Conclusions : Acupressure at the Qiu point positively impacts pain in patients undergoing ESWL treatment and increases their satisfaction . However , these results for physiological indices require further studies . Thus , acupressure can be considered a simple , easy , and effective option for pain management in patients during this procedure .
Kayo T , Suzuki M , Mitsuma T . et al . The effect of acupuncture on exercise capacity in patients with COPD is mediated by improvements of dyspnea and leg fatigue : a causal mediation analysis using data from a randomized controlled trial . BMC Complement Med Ther . 2024 ; 24 , 44 . https :// doi . org / 10.1186 / s12906-024-04353-0
Background : Acupuncture is known to improve exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ), but its mechanism remains unknown . Whether acupuncture improves exercise capacity in patients with COPD through alleviation of leg fatigue and dyspnea is examined by applying causal mediation analysis to previous trial data .
Methods : Sixty-two patients with COPD completed treatments with either real or placebo acupuncture once a week for 12 weeks . Walk distance measured using the 6-minute walk test and intensities of leg fatigue and dyspnea in the modified Borg scale were evaluated at baseline and after treatment . The intervention effect of acupuncture against the placebo acupuncture on two mediators , changes in
42 | vol30 | no1 | JATMS