Scientific Acupuncture Research Articles

An historical review of "scientific acupuncture and moxibustion" in the 1950s -- Learning from the Soviet Union

The medicine of the Soviet Union represented by Pavlov's advanced neurological theory played a major role in the medical system for the New China in the 1950s. In terms of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, it embodied in the 'scientific' reconstruction of main and collateral channels and mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion, reported on acupoint electric measurement and skin active point, and developed acupuncture theory with Integrated Medicine. In this sense, 'learning from the Soviet Union', was one of the important factors for 'scientised acupuncture and moxibustion', which influenced the constructing of contemporary acupuncture and moxibustion in China and drove the development of 'scientised acupuncture and moxibustion'. In addition, inevitably, it led to some conflicts and contradictions between traditional medicine and modern sciences in the process of 'learning from the Soviet Union'. This review of 'learning from the Soviet Union', the analysis of its advantages and disadvantages, and synthesis of its experiences, will provide an historical reference to current development of traditional Chinese medicine.

Unity and separation of lifting-thrusting and twirling reinforcing-reducing manipulation

To analyze the collaborative use and separation reasons of lifting-thrusting and twirling reinforcing and reducing manipulation. Lifting-thrusting manipulation and twirling manipulation are two important contents of acupuncture methods. In traditional acupuncture and moxibustion, the two methods were used in reinforcing and reducing concert, which was mainly related to the therapeutic thought guided by the qi-blood theory and the influence of the human body structure on the technique manipulation. After the Republic of China, the separation of lifting-thrusting manipulation and twirling manipulation gradually appeared. It was related to the widespread use of "scientific acupuncture method" in later generations and the integration of neuroscience into the acupuncture treatment system.

Historical investigation of meridian theory vicissitude in the initial period of People's Republic of China(1949─1959)

The years from 1949 to 1959, in the process of exploring the " scientific acupuncture and moxibustion" , the Chinese medicine community experienced three historical stages in the understanding of meridian theory, namely, the initial " de-meridianization of meridians" , the mid-term " Pavlovization " and the final "back to the origin" . The academic status of the meridian theory also has ups and downs. This was influenced by the political and social environment at that time and the vitality of the discipline itself. The history has finally proved that the meridian theory is one of the important components of TCM theory which cannot be neglected.

Brief analysis on The Latest Practicing Western Acupuncture

The Latest Practicing Western Acupuncture, a book of acupuncture translated from Japanese version, The Practicing Acupuncture Collections, is considered as the earliest acupuncture book that introduced anatomy into acupoints in modern times of China. What the book said are very abundant, which mainly about the history of acupuncture, anatomy of the acupoints, acupuncture treatment, and case report. The Latest Practicing Western Acupuncture was compiled and published by the scientific acupuncture tide that time; western knowledge are very rich in content, introducing anatomy into acupoints depiction, which is one of distinctive characteristics. Western medical names of disease are also employed by this book, that inspired so much for traditional acupuncture innovation of China. This article outlines the book's profile, compiler's information, the main contents of each chapter, and takes a brief discussion on the book's content characteristics and the influence on acupuncture of China later.

Conference Abstracts: International Scientific Acupuncture and Meridian Symposium 2013

Conference Abstracts: International Scientific Acupuncture and Meridian Symposium 2013

First Research Experiences with Chinese-Style Acupuncture Inside Lithuanian Rehabilitation Centre in Klaipeda

Acupuncture is one of the oldest complementary therapies used to treat chronic pain. WHO in Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials about Acupuncture note that researches on acupuncture are extremely difficult to conduct. It is already proved that acupuncture analgesia works better than a placebo for most kinds of pain [1]. Since the l970’s there has been a sharp increase in global scientific acupuncture research [4]. However, in Lithuania we still lack both research and training programs for physicians at University level. Klaipeda University Health Sciences Faculty wished to conduct a pilot test of the feasibility of providing acupuncture training in the rehabilitation hospital setting. Method. Ten patients received a short course of acupuncture at the Rehabilitation Centre atKlaipeda Seamen’s Hospital. Interested physicians were invited to observe. Pre- and post-qualitative data were collected. Results and conclusions. Patients reported positive experiences with acupuncture and improvement of symptoms. Physicians re-ported growing professional interest in acupuncture. No barriers to providing acupuncture training in the setting of a Rehabilitation hospital were identified.

¿Qué conclusiones se pueden extraer de los estudios piloto alemanes con respecto a la acupuntura de alta calidad?: Resultados parciales de un programa de evaluación complejo PEP-AC

Background The scientific acupuncture studies as part of the model project of German statutory insurance bodies aimed at evaluating the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture therapy in chronic headache, chronic back pain, and osteoarthrosis both under controlled and every-day conditions. The results serve as criteria for high-quality acupuncture. Linking an observational study with the data gathered from a survey conducted among acupuncturists, certain hints concerning features of patients, therapy and therapists could be gathered. Aim Reviewing the correlations already published by means of a homogenous indication group. Methods Combining the patient data from a prospective observational study and the data from a survey conducted among the participating acupuncturists. The patient data recorded included pain intensity, functionality in every-day situations, quality of life, and total of days with pain experienced before starting and 6 months after conclusion of therapy. The post-interventional data included overall satisfaction with the result and the incidence of side-effects. The data collected among the therapists included field of specialization, degree of qualification in acupuncture, contingent of acupuncture patients treated, as well as the application of additional naturopathic therapies. Results 1,727 patients with chronic back pain (average age 58 years, 79% female), having received treatment from 1,061 acupuncturists, were included in the present study. Regarding the treatment results, two extreme groups (445 non-responder and 261 best-responder) could be compared. Between acupuncturists with shorter (A-diploma) or longer (B-diploma) training, there was no detectable difference in the treatment success. Patients who received acupuncture from orthopaedic surgeons showed up less frequently in the group of particularly successfully treated patients. Patients treated by doctors with a high quota of acupuncture patients as well as by doctors offering additional naturopathic treatments more frequently displayed a good outcome. There is evidence indicating a less frequent occurrence of side effects in patients treated by therapists with longer training and/or more experience. Both male and female patients were more satisfied with the treatment if acupuncture was administered by a female doctor. Among male orthopaedic surgeons, the average time of contact with the patients during acupuncture treatment was remarkably short. Conclusion In spite of some methodological drawbacks, certain therapists’ features could be identified as quality indicators which could be used in the future improvement of acupuncture provisioning.

Welche Hinweise geben die Studien der Modellvorhaben auf eine qualitativ gute Akupunktur?: Teilergebnisse eines komplexen Evaluationsprogamms PEP-AC

Background The scientific acupuncture studies as part of the model project of German statutory insurance bodies aimed at evaluating the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture therapy in chronic headache, chronic back pain, and osteoarthrosis both under controlled and every-day conditions. The results serve as criteria for high-quality acupuncture. Linking an observational study with the data gathered from a survey conducted among acupuncturists, certain hints concerning features of patients, therapy and therapists could be gathered. Aim Reviewing the correlations already published by means of a homogenous indication group. Methods Combining the patient data from a prospective observational study and the data from a survey conducted among the participating acupuncturists. The patient data recorded included pain intensity, functionality in every-day situations, quality of life, and total of days with pain experienced before starting and 6 months after conclusion of therapy. The post-interventional data included overall satisfaction with the result and the incidence of side-effects. The data collected among the therapists included field of specialization, degree of qualification in acupuncture, contingent of acupuncture patients treated, as well as the application of additional naturopathic therapies. Results 1'727 patients with chronic back pain (average age 58 years, 79% female), having received treatment from 1'061 acupuncturists, were included in the present study. Regarding the treatment results, two extreme groups (445 non-responder and 261 best-responder) could be compared. Between acupuncturists with shorter (A-diploma) or longer (B-diploma) training, there was no detectable difference in the treatment success. Patients who received acupuncture from orthopaedic surgeons showed up less frequently in the group of particularly successfully treated patients. Patients treated by doctors with a high quota of acupuncture patients as well as by doctors offering additional naturopathic treatments more frequently displayed a good outcome. There is evidence indicating a less frequent occurrence of side effects in patients treated by therapists with longer training and/or more experience. Both male and female patients were more satisfied with the treatment if acupuncture was administered by a female doctor. Among male orthopaedic surgeons, the average time of contact with the patients during acupuncture treatment was remarkably short. Conclusion In spite of some methodological drawbacks, certain therapists' features could be identified as quality indicators which could be used in the future improvement of acupuncture provisioning.

Nadeln aus Licht – Vorstellung einer neuen Therapiemethode

A new therapy with so called laser needles was introduced into scientific acupuncture in the year 2001.It is a pain-free procedure with practically no side-effects, used on multiple acupuncture points with high power density, according to traditional Chinese acupuncture, simultaneously on body, skull or ear, thus stimulating these points.The needle-equivalence has been demonstrated in clinical as well as in basic research with the help of so-called Neuromonitoring of the central nervous system.Therapy with laser needles leads in a very high percentage to a long term healing effect in various illnesses.In this paper the basic theoretical principles, the practical procedure and the new equipment are introduced. Recently we have successfully shown that through the use of different wavelengths and intensities an improvement of point stimulation and increase of penetration depth of the system has been achieved.The clinical results of more than 8.000 cases of all treatment fields are summarized and the scientific basic research studies are introduced.

A Comparison of Traditional and Western Scientific Acupuncture Practitioners

A survey was made of five medical and nine non-medical acupuncture practitioners in the South West Thames region. The medical group had a predominantly Western Scientific approach to acupuncture, while the non-medical considered themselves to use entirely Traditional Chinese forms of acupuncture. The non-medical and traditional practitioners had a significantly greater expectation of cure following acupuncture treatment for a variety of problems including cancers. For each disease, the Western group tended to use a single formula derived from Traditional Chinese theories, while the traditionalists generally adapted their treatment to suit the individual patient rather than the disease.

Modern Scientific Acupuncture, as Practiced in Japan

Modern Scientific Acupuncture, as Practiced in Japan

The history and sociology of the scientific study of acupuncture.

Although known to the medical community in some form since the 19th century, acupuncture is only recently receiving concerted research attention from the conventional medical and scientific community. The overall amount of scientific acupuncture research has doubled since the mid 1960's. Employing the approaches of the science, history, sociology and social relations of science, this article explores factors which explain why the present time is conducive to acupuncture research by the scientific and medical community. Perhaps this study of scientific acupuncture research will provide the basis for a later theory of scientific development.

Scientific Acupuncture in the Actual Condition of the Clinics

Scientific Acupuncture in the Actual Condition of the Clinics