Persistent Pain Booklet
Where Does it Hurt? When we are pain we tend to think we know what is hurting. We twist our ankle, our ankle hurts. We say, ‘my ankle hurts’. It’s probably fair to say, yes, the ankle hurts. But what about chronic or persistent pain? What if you tweak your back and 3 months later…
Optimizing Female Fertility
Patient’s Factsheet – optimizing women’s fertility. Weight Ideally, aim to keep your weight between a BMI of 19 and 24 kg/m2 because a BMI outside these limits has been linked to subfertility, poor IVF outcomes, and miscarriages. If you need to lose weight regular exercise (minimum 30 min of moderately intense exercise at least three…
Moxibustion boosts immune function
Less well known than acupuncture moxibustion is at least as old. Moxibustion refers to the burning of the herb Artemesia directly on acupuncture points or on the ends of acupuncture needles. According to Skya Abbate writing in the Journal of Chinese Medicine: Like yin and yang, the Chinese characters for acupuncture and moxibustion are inextricably…
Acupuncture halts cluster headaches
A small Italian is the first to suggest that acupuncture can interrupt cluster headaches. Cluster headaches are excruciating attacks of pain in one side of the head, often felt behind the eye. Sufferers often call them ‘suicidal headaches’ because they’re so severe. Study design and protocol. Four patients with cluster headaches were treated with acupuncture…
Acupuncture improves menopause symptoms.
Taiwanese researchers have conducted a meta-analysis and concluded that acupuncture improves menopause symptoms. Effects of acupuncture on menopause -related symptoms and quality of life in women on natural menopause. The researchers conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on hot flash frequency and severity, menopause-related symptoms, and quality of life in women in…
Learning How to Learn Chinese
Learning How to Learn. I’ve been doing a wonderful course entitled , ‘Learning How to Learn – Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects’ by by Dr. Terrence Sejnowski and Dr. Barbara Oakley. The course is a MOOC (massive open online course) offered by coursera. I’ve never done one of these courses but…
Research shows acupuncture effective for sciatica
Is acupuncture effective for sciatica? New research from the UK shows that acupuncture should be considered as a treatment option for patients suffering from sciatica. The study was a systematic review and network meta-analysis comparing the clinical effectiveness of different treatment strategies for sciatica. A network meta-analysis can provide estimates of relative efficacy between many…
Acupuncture best for depression with pain.
Acupuncture, counselling or usual care for depression and comorbid pain. A new study has examined whether acupuncture or depression have benefits in treating depressed patients with pain compared to the usual care for depression – and concluded acupuncture is the best intervention for depression and pain. Around 50 – 66% of depressed patients also report…
Acupuncture most effective CAM for musculoskeletal problems.
[social_share style=”bar” align=”horizontal” heading_align=”inline” facebook=”1″ twitter=”1″ google_plus=”1″ linkedin=”1″ pinterest=”1″ /]New report shows acupuncture to be the most effective effective complementary therapy for musculoskeletal problems. Medical research charity Arthritis Research UK published it’s evidence-based report into practitioner provided complementary therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and back pain. Whilst no research was found amongst these therapies…
Acupuncture is significantly superior to all controls for chronic pain
Acupuncture is significantly superior to all controls. Controls and Trials Researchers studying the effects of acupuncture want to assess the benefit of acupuncture against that of a control. This is done to mitigate the effects of placebo – the tendency for people to get better when they are given any sort of treatment. A secondary…
Acupuncture – funny ad by popular demand.
Acupuncture – funny ad. So many of you missed this recent funny ad by Halfords, so I’ve tracked it down on Youtube and posted it below. After having her car fixed by her neighbour, how could she refuse the request to allow him to give her a free acupuncture treatment, after he’d just qualified. There’s…
Acupuncture for a new Start?
Acupuncture for a new start? The New Year marks a time for fresh starts which often involve looking at health needs, including treatment alternatives for existing conditions. Traditional acupuncture has become a popular choice, both as a stand alone treatment, and in combination with Western biomedicine. The growing popularity of acupuncture has gained a boost…