ObjectiveWhile needle acupuncture is a well-accepted technique, laser acupuncture is being increasingly used in clinical practice. The differential effects of the two techniques are of interest. We examine this in relation to brain effects of activatio...
Pressure ulcers (also known as bedsores or decubitus ulcers) are areas of localised injury to the skin and underlying tissue usually over a bony prominence, as a result of pressure, or pressure in combination with shear forces. This type of ulcer is on...
An exploratory review of the electroacupuncture literature: clinical applications and endorphin mechanisms
Electroacupuncture (EA) is widely used in clinical practice and research, as well as in experimental investigations into the mechanisms of acupuncture. This study explores publication trends in clinical and experimental studies of EA (1975–2011) ...
Acupuncture, a traditional healing art surviving over four millennia, has its roots in indigenous Chinese Daoism.1 Although modern acupuncturists disregard Daoist philosophy, needling itself has never lost its basis of naturalness and simplicity. Acupu...
Key regions of the cerebral network are altered after electroacupuncture at the Baihui (GV20) and Yintang acupuncture points in healthy volunteers: an analysis based on resting fcMRI
ObjectiveTo identify the key cerebral functional region affected by acupuncture point needling by examining cerebral networks using functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) and analysing changes in the key regions of these brain networks at different time p...
Cupping therapy has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of several chronic conditions, such as low back pain, chronic arthralgia, radiculopathy and respiratory disease.1 Dry and wet cupping (with controlle...
A 62-year-old patient with chronic bronchitis had treatment-resistant atrial fibrillation. Electrical cardioversion was performed, but sinus rhythm (SR) lasted only for some minutes. Administration of amiodarone was withheld in favour of a course of ac...
Failed acupuncture treatment of small intestinal obstruction after distal gastric cancer: a case report
We would like to report a case in which inappropriate use of acupuncture for intestinal obstruction may have increased the patient's discomfort and delayed definitive treatment for the underlying cause.Case reportA 58-year-old man went to Changhai Hosp...
The concept of comorbidities as a challenge for healthcare systems has recently been given increasing attention in leading medical journals. Many patients suffering from chronic pain, especially those who are older or poorer, have more than one patholo...
Lateralisation of cerebral response to active acupuncture in patients with unilateral ischaemic stroke: an fMRI study
ObjectiveAcupuncture is beneficial in treating stroke neuropsychiatric symptoms. The present study aimed to identify functional brain response to active acupuncture in patients with unilateral ischaemic stroke using functional MRI (fMRI).MethodsA total...