Jamie

Does evolution explain the placebo effect?

Placebo The placebo effect is the observation in scientific clinical studies that in any given trial a proportion of subjects will show health improvements when they are given a dummy drug – such as a sugar pill. Does evolution explain the placebo effect? Up until now, the placebo effect has seemed to make no sense…if…

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Miranda does acupuncture!

Miranda does acupuncture!  But what is acupuncture really like? I find that many patients come to their first session feeling quite apprehensive.  But is acupuncture really as bad as shown in this video? I’d like to point out that I’m not nearly as scary as the character played by Miranda in this super clip from…

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Acupuncture documentary

This is a BBC 2 acupuncture documentary that was released a few years ago.  I watched it when it was first released and I think it is probably the best feature on acupuncture that has ever been on television.  It runs for around an hour so watch it when you’ve got time to put your…

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Anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture in allergic asthma.

The anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture in allergic asthma has been demonstrated by a  team of Chinese investigators. They have shown that acupuncture has regulatory effects on mucosal and cellular immunity in patients with allergic asthma. What is interesting in this study is that as well as showing an effect for acupuncture in the treatment of…

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Does acupuncture improve cardiac coherence?

Researchers suggest acupuncture promotes cardiac coherence. A key determinant of overall health is cardiac coherence.  This is a measure of coherent heart rate variability (HRV).  According to the HeartMath organisation: “HeartMath researchers have conducted numerous studies tracking people’s coherence levels by observing their heart-rhythm patterns. The research shows that the greater an individual’s level of…

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Acupuncture helps knees.

Acupuncture helps knees – research shows acupuncture is a cost-effective treatment for osteo-arthritis of the knee. Two new studies suggest acupuncture may be an effective aid to osteo-arthritis of the knee and  a credible alternative to knee replacement. Acupuncture has benefits for knee osteoarthritis. A three-armed randomised controlled trial carried out by Greek investigators has…

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A cup of tea a day keeps the doctor away.

Research suggests a cup of tea a day keeps the doctor away! Research presented at the Fifth International Scientific Symposium on Tea & Human Health shows that regular tea drinking can help with a host of potential health problems.  Regular tea drinking can help us burn more calories, help the body metabolize fat, regulate blood…

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Acupuncture effective for chronic pain.

Major new study concludes acupuncture effective for chronic pain. The first systematic review of acupuncture to use individual patient data to conduct a meta-analysis has found acupuncture effective for chronic pain.  The Acupuncture Trialists’ Collaboration analysed raw individual patient data, which was available for 17,922 participants enrolled in 29 high-quality, randomised trials of acupuncture for…

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Endometriosis linked to inflammatory bowel disease.

Endometriosis linked to inflammatory bowel disease. Endometriosis UK have just reported news of new research which shows that endometriosis is linked to inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s or colitis.  This supports the growing belief that endometriosis has inflammatory aspects and a disorder of the immune system.  Endometriosis also shows some signs of being an…

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Increase in Gloucestershire paid IVF cycles.

NHS announces an increase in Gloucestershire paid IVF cycles. Since 2004 NICE has been recommending up to three cycles of IVF for qualifying couples.  Now Gloucestershire NHS, which previously allowed just one cycle, has announced an increase in Gloucestershire paid IVF cycles. This will be for couples fulfilling certain criteria, including the woman being aged…

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NICE recommend acupuncture for migraines and tension headaches.

NICE recommend acupuncture for migraines and tension headaches. Widely reported in the media this week is a story that painkillers ‘are the cause’ of millions of headaches. It has long been known that overuse of painkillers can cause headaches and migraines that feel identical to patient’s normal pain.  This can lead to a vicious circle…

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New review supports acupuncture for migraine prevention.

New review supports acupuncture for migraine prevention. Earlier in the  year I was looking at the evidence base for the use of acupuncture for migraine prevention.  At that time the Cochrane review of acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis, rather disappointingly, concluded that, ”  evidence in support of acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis was considered promising but insufficient”. …

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