Utilidad de la acupuntura y sus técnicas relacionadas en neurología: Resultados de una encuesta a expertos

Abstract

Objective Neurology encompasses a wide variety of diseases and disorders, which diff er in cause, prognosis and therapeutic options. A survey among experts was conducted to determine, which neurological diseases and disorders respond well to acupuncture and related techniques, and if these diagnoses are preferably to be treated with classical acupuncture alone or rather using related techniques such as micro systems, special needle techniques, or additional therapeutic means. Methods 37 MDs (35 neurologists, 2 general practitioners) were asked to complete a questionnaire with 7 questions regarding prognosis and therapeutic options of several neurological diseases and disorders, and to comment on their preferred therapeutic approach, respectively. Results Five of the experts (13.5 %) returned the questionnaire. Several neurological diseases and disorders were found to respond well to acupuncture and related techniques. The best results (improvement of more than 50 % in 70 % of the cases) could be achieved in the treatment of tension-type headache and migraine. Treatment of poststroke paralyses only seems promising if therapy is initiated shortly after the incident. All experts frequently used micro systems, among which ear acupuncture was most widely preferred. Special caution should be taken in the treatment of patients with epilepsy. Discussion The expert answers turned out to be highly consistent. However, there remained diff erences regarding contraindications. Surprisingly, scalp acupuncture only scarcely applied. Conclusions With only five questionnaires returned, only a general tendency could be determined. A greater readiness in specialists of sharing their expertise with fellow acupuncturists remains to be desired for the future.