Minimal Acupuncture Research Articles

Electroacupuncture pretreatment induces rapid tolerance to bupivacaine cardiotoxicity in rats.

Evidence suggests that electroacupuncture (EA) protects against arrhythmia and myocardial injury induced by myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion. However, to our knowledge, it remains unknown whether EA could alleviate bupivacaine-induced cardiotoxicity. Therefore, we aimed to explore the effect of EA pretreatment on bupivacaine-induced cardiac arrest and outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in rats. 24 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: EA (n=12), and minimal acupuncture (MA) (n=12). Rats in both groups were needled at bilateral PC6, ST36, and ST40. Needles in the EA group were electrically stimulated for 60 min. ECG and invasive arterial blood pressure measurements were recorded. Two hours after EA or MA, 10 mg/kg bupivacaine was infused intravenously at a rate of 5 mg/kg/min in all rats. Rats suffering cardiac arrest were immediately subjected to CPR. At the end of the experiment, arterial blood samples were taken from surviving rats for blood gas analysis. The time from bupivacaine infusion until 20% prolongation of the QRS and QT interval, and the time to cardiac arrest, were notably increased among the rats pretreated with EA. Moreover, EA pretreatment significantly improved mean arterial pressure and heart rate at all monitored points after bupivacaine infusion. The proportion of animals surviving was higher in the EA group (9/12) than the MA group (3/12) at the end of experiment (p=0.039). Tolerance to bupivacaine-induced cardiotoxicity appeared to be increased following EA pre-treatment. The mechanism of action underlying the effects of EA on bupivacaine-induced cardiotoxicity requires further investigation.

Antagonism of cannabinoid receptor 1 attenuates the anti-inflammatory effects of electroacupuncture in a rodent model of migraine.

The anti-nociceptive effects of electroacupuncture (EA) in migraine have been documented in multiple randomised controlled trials. Neurogenic inflammation plays a key role in migraine attacks, and the anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture have been associated with the type 1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptor. To investigate whether CB1 receptors mediate the anti-inflammatory effects of EA on migraine attacks. A migraine model was produced in Sprague-Dawley rats by unilateral electrical stimulation of the trigeminal ganglion (TGES). Rats received EA daily on the 5 days preceding TGES with (TGES+EA+SR141716 group) or without (TGES+EA group) intraperitoneal injections of the CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716. Another group of TGES rats (TGES+MA group) and a non-TGES sham-operated group of rats (Sham+MA group) received minimal acupuncture (MA). Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) concentrations were determined in serum obtained from the ipsilateral jugular vein at initiation of TGES and 5 min after. Postmortem interleukin (IL)-1β and cyclooxygenase (COX)2 protein levels in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) and plasma protein extravasation (PPE) in the dura mater were assessed. TGES induced increases in serum CGRP and PGE2 levels (TGES+MA vs baseline and vs Sham: all p<0.001), as well as IL-1β and COX2 protein expression in the TG, and neurogenic PPE levels (TGES+MA vs Sham+MA: all p<0.001). EA attenuated TGES-induced increases in the levels of these proteins (TGES+EA vs TGES+MA: all p<0.001). CB1 receptor antagonism reversed the effects of EA (TGES+EA+SR141716 vs TGES+EA: all p<0.05). CB1 receptors appear to mediate anti-inflammatory effects of EA in a rat model of migraine.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture versus minimal acupuncture for mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis: a protocol for a randomised, controlled pilot trial

IntroductionKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders. Acupuncture is a popular form of complementary medicine for musculoskeletal conditions, although the evidence is inconclusive. Our objective is...

Adverse Events Related to Acupuncture: Development and Testing of a Rating Scale.

Mild adverse events (AEs) are common with acupuncture, but the collection of AEs is generally poor. The objective of this study was to develop and test a new instrument for acupuncture-related AEs. After literature review, consultation with experts, and pilot-testing, the acupuncture-related AE report form (AcupAE), a 20-item scale on local and systemic AEs was tested in 150 adults who were randomized to receive acupuncture, minimal acupuncture, and placebo acupuncture. AE was assessed using open-ended questioning, followed by the AcupAE after the third, sixth, and ninth treatment. The incidence of any AEs per patient, as derived from the AcupAE, was 42.4% with acupuncture, 42.2% with minimal acupuncture, and 16.7% with placebo acupuncture; the respective incidence was 6.8%, 5.1%, and 3.3% with open-ended questioning. There was a significant difference in the incidence of any AEs between the 3 groups based on the AcupAE, and the incidence rates of any AEs were significantly higher when assessed by the AcupAE than by open-ended questioning in the acupuncture and minimal acupuncture groups. The AcupAE was able to detect differences in AE between true, minimal, and simulated acupuncture, whereas the open-ended questioning was not sensitive enough. The results support the use of AcupAE as an effective instrument for the assessment of acupuncture-related AEs. Although the checklist approach can result in overreporting and the causality may be unclear for some events, it is the first step for collecting standardized information and allowing comparison between different acupuncture approaches and patient groups in future studies.

Traditional Chinese Acupuncture for Poststroke Depression: A Single-Blind Double-Simulated Randomized Controlled Trial.

To evaluate the effectiveness and possible side-effect of treating poststroke depression patients by traditional Chinese body acupuncture. Single-blind double-simulated randomized controlled trial. Inpatient wards of neurology and rehabilitation departments. Sixty-eight (68) participants who met the criteria were randomly assigned into two groups, 34 cases (32 completed) into intervention group and 34 cases (33 completed) into control group. Body acupuncture (Shuigou GV 26, Neiguan PC 6, and Zusanli ST 36) and oral placebo were used in intervention group while fluoxetine and minimal nontraditional acupuncture (minimally active penetrating) were used in control group. Patients in both groups were treated separately once a day for 6 weeks. Outcomes were measured using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), and side-effects were measured using the Side Effect Rating Scale (SERS) of Asberg and a self-designed needling adverse events scale. Clinical effects of both groups were statistically valued before treatment, week-2, week-6, and month-3. The total curative effects of both groups are similar (p > 0.05; evaluated in week-6 and month-3), while intervention group had an earlier onset time at week-2 (p < 0.05). The intervention group has fewer side-effects in week-2 (p < 0.05). Body acupuncture was effective in reducing stroke patients' depressive symptoms and had fewer side-effects. It should be considered as an option for neuropsychiatric sequelae of stroke.

Standardized minimal acupuncture, individualized acupuncture, and no acupuncture for infantile colic: study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial - ACU-COL.

BackgroundDespite weak evidence, the use of acupuncture has increased in infantile colic. The only three randomized trials conducted evaluated standardized minimal acupuncture in one single point. Two showed effect but one did not so further research is necessary.The aims of the study are 1) to test if results in earlier trials conducted in private acupuncture clinics can be repeated at Child Health Centers (CHC) and 2) to compare the effect of two types of acupuncture and no acupuncture in infants with colic at CHC.Methods/design a multicenter randomized controlled three-armed trial for infantile colic conducted in four regions of Sweden. Alongside the standard program at their regular Child Health Center infants visit a study center twice a week for 2 weeks. The infants are randomly allocated into three groups.According to the power analysis, 144 otherwise healthy infants aged 2–9 weeks old, who – according to parents’ registration in a diary – are crying and/or fussing more than three hours per day, more than 3 days per week will be included. Parents register daily in the diary during the baseline week, two intervention weeks, and one more week directly after the last study visit.At four study visits at the Child Health Center parents meet a nurse for 20–30 min to receive advice and support. The nurse and the parents are blinded for group allocation. Infants are carried to another room, where they spend five minutes with an acupuncturist. Infants randomized to group A receive standardized minimal acupuncture in LI4. Group B receive individualized acupuncture where, according to symptoms, the acupuncturist can choose between the points Sifeng, LI4, and ST36. Group C receives no acupuncture.The primary outcome is relative difference in crying, counted in minutes. Secondary outcomes are number of infants fulfilling the criteria for colic, and changes in sleep and stooling frequency. Adverse events and blinding are recorded.Recruitment started in January 2013. During the first 14 months 93 patients were included. Data collection continues until May 2015. No interim analyses have been conducted.DiscussionThe study will provide information about the efficacy and safety of acupuncture as a complement to usual care in infants with colic.Trial registrationDecember 29, 2012: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01761331

Acupuncture for residual insomnia associated with major depressive disorder: a placebo- and sham-controlled, subject- and assessor-blind, randomized trial.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for residual insomnia and other residual symptoms associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). 150 participants having significant insomnia for more than 3 months and a history of MDD (both based on DSM-IV-TR criteria) were recruited from 4 psychiatric outpatient clinics in Hong Kong from May 2011 to August 2013 to receive 9 sessions of treatment over 3 weeks. They were randomized to receive acupuncture, minimal acupuncture, or placebo acupuncture. Primary outcome was sleep diary-derived sleep efficiency. Secondary outcomes included other sleep diary parameters, actigraphy, anxiety and depressive symptoms, daytime functioning, and adverse events. The mean difference in sleep diary-derived sleep efficiency at 1-week posttreatment was -1.40 (95% CI, -7.08 to 4.28) between the acupuncture and minimal acupuncture groups and was 3.10 (95% CI, -3.64 to 9.84) between the acupuncture and placebo acupuncture groups. A χ(2) test showed that acupuncture produced a significantly higher proportion of participants achieving sleep-onset latency ≤ 30 minutes than did minimal acupuncture at 1-week posttreatment (P = .04). However, there was no significant between-group difference in most of the other outcomes. Treatment blinding was successful, as a majority of participants did not know which treatment they had received. Acupuncture was well tolerated, but the efficacy was only mild and similar to that of minimal acupuncture and placebo acupuncture. A high proportion of patients remained clinically significantly affected by insomnia after treatment. The finding raises certain doubts about the value of acupuncture and underscores the difficulties in the treatment of residual insomnia in MDD. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01707706.

Risk factors associated with adverse events of acupuncture: a prospective study.

Mild adverse events (AEs) are common with acupuncture, but the risk factors remain unclear. A prospective study using a standardised AE assessment and acupuncture protocol was undertaken to address the question. A 20-item AE report form investigated local and systemic AEs in 150 adults with insomnia randomised to receive traditional, minimal and non-invasive sham acupuncture. Sociodemographic, clinical and psychological variables at baseline and past history and perceived credibility of acupuncture were assessed. The incidence of any AEs per patient was 42.4% with traditional acupuncture, 40.7% with minimal acupuncture and 16.7% with non-invasive sham acupuncture. Traditional and minimal acupuncture were associated with a greater number of local AEs, while the presence of a chronic medical condition was predictive of fewer local and systemic AEs. Greater severity of insomnia, anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms and pain catastrophising thoughts were associated with lower risk, but most of the significant correlations disappeared after logistic regression. Divorce and widowhood were the only significant sociodemographic variables, while previous acupuncture treatment and perceived credibility of acupuncture were found to be unrelated. The risk of any AEs was higher in participants receiving traditional acupuncture (OR 4.26) and minimal acupuncture (OR 4.27) and in those without medical comorbidity (OR 3.39). The prevalence of AEs was higher than usual, probably due to the low threshold in our definition of AEs and the systematic collection from the patients' perspective. Baseline variables were largely unable to predict AEs associated with acupuncture. Further studies should explore the roles of practitioners, patients' anxiety during treatment and patient-practitioner interactions. NCT01707706.

Long term follow up of breast cancer patients treated with acupuncture for hot flashes.

ObjectiveShort term effects of acupuncture treatment for hot flashes (HF) in breast cancer patients have been demonstrated in several studies, including a randomized controlled trial, by the present authors. Results for the first 59 Tamoxifen medicated women receiving a 10 week course of acupuncture treatment have already been published. A significant reduction in the number of hot flashes was demonstrated both day and night, for up to three months following treatment in the women receiving traditional Chinese acupuncture. The control group receiving sham (minimal acupuncture) demonstrated a HF reduction only at night during treatment, however the effect did not remain significant during the following 12 weeks. The study was continued in order to investigate longer term effects of acupuncture treatment, and patient’s quality of life two years after treatment.Methods and materialsEighty patients, who had 2 years previously been randomized to either a course of 15 acupuncture treatments or sham acupuncture (control) over a period of 10 weeks, were asked to fill out a Kupperman index (KI) indicating health related quality of life.ResultsSixty one women returned KI questionnaires. A mixed models procedure with diagonal covariance matrix was used for statistical analyses. Baseline values between the sham-group and acupuncture group were not significantly different. However scores at the end of treatment and after 3 months showed a statistically significant difference between the groups, this difference lost its significance when scores were analyzed after 2 years.ConclusionAcupuncture seems to have a positive effect on health related quality of life for up three months post-treatment, this study suggests that these effects may be longer-term, however there was no significant effect 2 years later.

Clinical efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunct to methadone treatment services for heroin addicts: a randomized controlled trial.

Scant scientific evidence supports the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of opiate dependence. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of acupuncture for heroin addicts on methadone maintenance by measuring the daily consumption of methadone, variations in the 36-item Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, and heroin craving. Sixty heroin addicts were randomly assigned to true acupuncture (electroacupuncture at the Hegu [LI4] and Zusanli [ST36] acupoints, as well as acupuncture at the Ear Shenmen) or sham acupuncture (minimal acupuncture at the Hegu and Zusanli acupoints without electrical stimulation and superficial acupuncture at the Ear Shenmen), twice weekly for 4 weeks. From week 2 onwards, the daily dose of methadone was reduced by a significantly greater amount with true acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture. True acupuncture was also associated with a greater improvement in sleep latency at follow-up. All adverse events were mild in severity. Acupuncture appears to be a useful adjunct to methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) in heroin addiction.

Selection of acupoints for managing upper-extremity spasticity in chronic stroke patients.

BackgroundThis study investigated the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) in inhibiting upper-extremity spasticity in chronic stroke patients, and also in mapping a unique preliminary acupoint-selection protocol.MethodsFifteen patients were divided into two groups: patients in the control group (n=6) received minimal acupuncture (MA), and those in the experimental group (n=9) received EA. Four acupoints, which include Neiguan (PC6), Shaohai (HT3), Zeqian (Ex-UE, A32), and Shounizhu (EX-UE), were treated near the motor points of the muscles for elbow flexion, forearm pronation, and finger flexion. Both groups were treated for twelve sessions, 20 minutes per session, for 6 weeks (two sessions per week). The outcome measures in this study included angle of muscle reaction (R1), passive range of motion (R2), and dynamic component (R2–R1).ResultsIn the experimental group, the R2–R1 of the elbow joint was significantly decreased at 1 (P=0.0079), 3 (P=0.0013), and 6 weeks (P=0.0149) after treatment compared with pretreatment levels (P<0.05). The between-group difference in the R2–R1 of the elbow joint after the 6-week treatment was statistically significant.ConclusionCombining the 6-week EA and standard rehabilitation treatment reduced the spasticity of the elbow for chronic stroke survivors. However, no significant effect was observed in the spasticity of the wrist joints. The choice of acupoints and the frequency of EA have to be taken into account to achieve a positive treatment effect. The correlation between acupoints and motor points provides a model of acupoint selection to improve spasticity.

Acupuncture in 21st Century Anesthesia

Acupuncture in 21st Century Anesthesia

A multicenter, randomized, controlled trial testing the effects of acupuncture on allergic rhinitis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment for allergic rhinitis. This study was a multicenter, randomized, parallel-controlled study. Participants were randomized to either the active acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or waitlist groups. The active and sham acupuncture groups received acupuncture treatment three times per week for 4 weeks. In the sham group, minimal acupuncture at nonacupuncture points was used. The waitlist group did not receive any acupuncture treatment. Of the 238 participants, 97, 94, and 47 individuals were assigned to the active acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and waitlist group, respectively. After the treatment, the difference in the total nasal symptom score (TNSS) was significantly reduced in the active acupuncture group compared with the sham acupuncture (difference: -1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.96, -0.09, P = 0.03) and waitlist (difference: -2.49, 95% CI: -3.68, -1.29, P < 0.0001). The active acupuncture group exhibited a significant change in the total non-nasal symptom score (TNNSS) compared with the waitlist (difference: -0.78, 95% CI: -1.22, -0.34, P = 0.0002), but not the sham acupuncture group (difference; 0.15, 95% CI: -0.21, 0.5, P = 0.56). Both active and sham acupuncture treatments resulted in significant improvements in TNSS and TNNSS compared to baseline. Active acupuncture showed a significantly greater effect on symptoms of allergic rhinitis than either sham acupuncture or no active treatment. The symptoms of allergic rhinitis decreased significantly after treatment in the both acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups. Acupuncture appears to be an effective and safe treatment for allergic rhinitis.

Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials on Acupuncture for Shoulder Pain Based on Jadad Scale and Revised STRICTA Recommendations

Objectives: This study aims to review randomized controlled trials on acupuncture for shoulder pain according to the Jadad Scale and the revised standards for reporting interventions in clinical trials of acupuncture (STRICTA). Methods: Seven electronic databases, including PUBMED, SCOPUS, and RISS, were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCT) of acupuncture for shoulder pain. Results: Sixteen (16) RCTs were included: 14 were published in English and 2 were published in Korean. According to the Jadad scale, 15 RCTs had high quality. However, most did not meet the double-blindness criteria. All RCTs meet 12.9 items, on average, in STRICTA. Conclusions: This systematic review shows four conclusions: Traditional Chinese Medicine is often used in the form of acupuncture. The LI15, TE14, GB21 and LI11 acupoints, stainless-steel needles (0.3 mm 40 mm), 20 retention time, manual stimulation, Deqi, and 2 times a week treatment (total 12) are often used. Double-blinded clinical trials need to be conducted. The use of minimal acupuncture on controlled groups for RCTs on acupuncture for shoulder pain is controversial, and a description of the practitioner’s background needs clarifying.

Infantile Colic: More than the Mother

Infantile colic is diagnosed in a seriously fussy or colicky infant who is otherwise healthy and well fed but has paroxysms of irritability and fussing or crying for more than 3 h a day, for more than 3 days a week for more than 3 weeks. Thus, the clinical diagnosis is based on the children's crying behaviour.1 2 Pathogenesis of infantile colic is unclear but may be related to food allergy, flatulence, intestinal hormonal imbalances, parental factors and deregulation of the autonomic nervous system.3 4 In a recent prospective single blind controlled study on the effects of minimal acupuncture in infantile colic it was found that light needling (minimal acupuncture) at LI4 significantly reduced the rated crying intensity as compared with the control group. Pain-related behaviour, such as facial expression, was also significantly less …

Feeding, stooling and sleeping patterns in infants with colic - a randomized controlled trial of minimal acupuncture

BackgroundThe aim was to describe the feeding- and stooling patterns of infants with colic and evaluate the influence of minimal acupuncture.MethodsA prospective, randomized, controlled, blind clinical study was conducted at a private acupuncture clinic in Sweden. 90 otherwise healthy 2-8 weeks old infants, born after gestational week 36, fulfilling the criteria for infantile colic and not medicated with dicyclomine, were included. 81 infants went through a structured program consisting of six visits to the clinic, twice weekly. Infants randomized to receive acupuncture were given minimal, standardized acupuncture for two seconds in LI4. Frequency and size of stooling, as well as duration of, and intervals between, feeding sessions were reported by parents in a diary. Parental assessment of sleep and comments on stooling and side effects were collected in a questionnaire.ResultsAt baseline when the mean age was five weeks, infants in both groups were fed a median of eight times/day, 148 min/day, with considerable variations. No differences were found between groups in the frequency and duration of feeding during the intervention weeks. Furthermore there were no significant differences between the groups regarding the frequency of stooling, neither at baseline, at which point the infants of both groups had bowel movements 4.2 times/day, nor during the intervention weeks. There was an expected decrease in frequency of stooling in both groups, reaching 2.1 (p = 0,001) in the acupuncture group and 3.1 (p < 0,001) in the control group. The groups differed regarding large bowel movements which decreased linearly in the control group (p = 0,011) but not in the acupuncture group (p = 0,787). More parents in the acupuncture group than in the control group (28% and 15% respectively, p = 0.006) experienced the infant's sleep to be "better" or "much better." No other significant differences were found. However, parents described a normalized stooling and experienced an improvement in colic in their infants more frequently in the acupuncture group than in the control group.ConclusionsInfants with colic in the present study had a higher frequency of stooling than reported internationally in healthy infants. Minimal acupuncture had no major effect on feeding, stooling and sleep, although a minor effect of minimal acupuncture on stooling and sleep cannot be ruled out.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govID NCT00860301

Randomized fMRI Trial of the Central Effects of Acute Acupuncture on Glucose Levels and Core Body Temperature in “Overweight” Males

Abstract Objective: This study focuses on how acupoints ST 36 (Zu San Li) and SP 9 (Yin Ling Quan) and their sham acupoints act acutely on the limbic system via dopamine to affect satiety, glucose (GLU) blood levels, and core body temperature (CBT). Design: This controlled clinical trial compared real acupuncture (ACU) versus minimal sham acupuncture (min SHAM) effects on metabolic physiology using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Setting: The study took place at the West China Hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Subjects: The study subjects were 19 right-handed healthy, “overweight,” nondieting adult Chinese males ages 21–45 (10 for ACU treatment and 9 for min SHAM) who had abstained from eating 12 hours prior to the fMRI experiment. Results: Values for GLU and CBT indicated no significant differences (P>0.05) in both inter- and intragroup comparisons resulting from variable individual responses to treatment. Hunger survey feedback was significant (P<0.05) between the ACU and min S...

Gastrointestinal symptoms of infantile colic and their change after light needling of acupuncture: a case series study of 913 infants.

BackgroundInfantile colic is a common painful clinical condition associated with signs of distended intestines and an increase in colon peristalsis. However, clinical documentation of observed gastrointestinal functions in the condition is still lacking. Even though the ailment is common, no clear treatment guidelines exist. While acupuncture with minimal stimulation has been shown to be effective in reducing crying behaviour of infants suffering from colic, the documented effect of acupuncture on gastrointestinal function in children with infantile colic is scarce. This case series study aims to document the symptoms of routinely rated gastrointestinal function and the changes in these symptoms after minimal acupuncture in a larger group of children with infantile colic.MethodsThis study included 913 infants with normal weights, and lengths at birth. The infants' mean age was 5.4 weeks when the observations started, and had colic symptoms since two weeks after birth. Light needling stimulation of the acupuncture point LI4 was performed for 10-20 seconds bilaterally on a daily basis for a mean of 6.2 consecutive days. A questionnaire with verbal rating scales for the parents' evaluation was used before and after the treatment period.ResultsBefore treatment the infants were assessed by the parents in terms of 'often have inflated stomachs' (99%) and 'seldom drool' (76%), 'regurgitate' (53%) and 'belch' (62%). Moreover, the reported frequency of defecation was 5-8 times per day (64%), with a yellowish-green colour (61%) and with a water-thin consistency (74%). After treatment, the variables of inflated stomachs, drooling and regurgitating were systematically changed, and rated by the parents as occurring 'sometimes' while belching was rated as occurring 'often' and the frequency of defecation was reduced to 1-4 times/day with a mustard yellow colour and a gruel-like consistency. The parents also rated their impression of the infants' general colic symptoms including crying behaviour as much ameliorated in 76% of the cases.ConclusionThe results of the present study show that minimal acupuncture at LI4 in infantile colic is an effective and easy treatment procedure that, furthermore, is reported to be without serious side effects.

Electroacupuncture for residual insomnia associated with major depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture as an additional treatment for residual insomnia associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). Randomized, placebo-controlled. A psychiatric outpatient clinic. 78 Chinese patients with DSM-IV-diagnosed MDD, insomnia complaint, a Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS(17)) score ≤ 18, and fixed antidepressant dosage. Electroacupuncture, minimal acupuncture (superficial needling at non-acupuncture points), or noninvasive placebo acupuncture 3 sessions weekly for 3 weeks. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), HDRS(17), 1 week sleep diaries, and 3 day actigraphy were administered at baseline, 1 week post-treatment, and 4 week post-treatment. There was significant group by time interaction in ISI, PSQI, and sleep diary-derived sleep efficiency (mixed-effects models, P = 0.04, P = 0.03, and P = 0.01, respectively). Post hoc pairwise comparisons revealed that electroacupuncture and minimal acupuncture were more efficacious than placebo acupuncture in ISI and PSQI at 1 week and 4 week post-treatment. Minimal acupuncture resulted in greater improvement in sleep diary-derived sleep efficiency than placebo acupuncture at 1 week post-treatment. There was no significant between-group difference in actigraphy measures, depressive symptoms, daily functioning, and hypnotic consumption, and no difference in any measures between electroacupuncture and minimal acupuncture. Compared with placebo acupuncture, electroacupuncture and minimal acupuncture resulted in greater improvement in subjective sleep measures at 1 week and 4 week post-treatment. No significant difference was found between electroacupuncture and minimal acupuncture, suggesting that the observed differences could be due to nonspecific effects of needling, regardless of whether it is done according to traditional Chinese medicine theory.

Acupuncture Reduces Crying in Infants with Infantile Colic: A Randomised, Controlled, Blind Clinical Study

ObjectiveTo investigate whether acupuncture reduces the duration and intensity of crying in infants with colic.Patients and methods90 otherwise healthy infants, 2–8 weeks old, with infantile colic were randomised in this controlled blind study. 81 completed a structured programme consisting of six visits during 3 weeks to an acupuncture clinic in Sweden. Parents blinded to the allocation of their children met a blinded nurse. The infant was subsequently given to another nurse in a separate room, who handled all infants similarly except that infants allocated to receive acupuncture were given minimal, standardised acupuncture for 2 s in LI4.ResultsThere was a difference (p=0.034) favouring the acupuncture group in the time which passed from inclusion until the infant no longer met the criteria for colic. The duration of fussing was lower in the acupuncture group the first (74 vs 129 min; p=0.029) and second week (71 vs 102 min; p=0.047) as well as the duration of colicky crying in the second intervention week (9 vs 13 min; p=0.046) was lower in the acupuncture group. The total duration of fussing, crying and colicky crying (TC) was lower in the acupuncture group during the first (193 vs 225 min; p=0.025) and the second intervention week (164 vs 188 min; p=0.016). The relative difference from baseline throughout the intervention weeks showed differences between groups for fussing in the first week (22 vs 6 min; p=0.028), for colicky crying in the second week (92 vs 73 min; p=0.041) and for TC in the second week (44 vs 29 min; p=0.024), demonstrating favour towards the acupuncture group.ConclusionsMinimal acupuncture shortened the duration and reduced the intensity of crying in infants with colic. Further research using different acupuncture points, needle techniques and intervals between treatments is required.