Based on our fMRI study, it appears that understanding the effects of acupuncture within a neuroscience-based framework is vital. Further, we have proposed the broad sense-HPA axis hypothesis which incorporates the experimental results.
[Purpose] The present study examined whether electro-acupuncture therapy reduces
post-stroke depression (PSD) and whether motor function impairments interact with the
effects of the therapy. [Subjects] Twenty-eight PSD patients were assessed and assigned to
either a good or poor motor function group depending on their motor grade. [Methods] The
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Manual Muscle
Test (MMT) were administered at the screening and initial phases of the study, and at the
4th, 8th, 12th and 16th week of the daily electro-acupuncture treatment. [Results] The
electro-acupuncture treatment reduced PSD (as assessed by BDI and HDRS) of the patients.
In particular, the depression of the good motor function group was significantly more
reduced than that of the poor motor function group. The degree of motor function
impairment did not change throughout the study in either group. [Conclusion] The results
of the present study demonstrate that electro-acupuncture therapy can improve PSD, and
that the treatment effect varies depending on the degree of motor function impairment.
Background. Migraine is a common reason for primary headache disorders. Cupping is a frequently used traditional intervention for controlling pain including migraine. There have been no systematic reviews on the clinical effects of cupping on migraine. Objective. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cupping therapy for migraine. The search strategy was built for the presence of related keywords, such as “migraine” and “cupping therapy”, in the title and abstract of research articles indexed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and other databases. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cupping therapy for migraine were searched and selected from inception to May 2019. We searched eight databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The selection process and the quality assessment were performed by 2 authors independently. The meta-analysis was conducted and qualitative analysis was also performed. Results. 218 studies were identified, and 6 RCTs were enrolled in this review. In comparison to drugs, wet cupping showed a higher total effective rate (TER). In the dry cupping plus acupuncture, the result of TER showed more effectiveness (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.12,
P
=
0.13
) compared with acupuncture alone, but there was no statistically significant difference. In qualitative analysis, the results showed wet cupping plus drugs treatment could quickly relieve pain and significantly improve patients’ quality of life and wet cupping could reduce headache pain. Conclusion. Cupping therapy could be effective for the treatment of migraine. However, the qualities of the evidence were low, so well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm the effectiveness of cupping. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration number is CRD42017054979.
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