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This study found no statistical difference in percent reduction in BW, BMI, and WC between the two groups. No adverse effects of short-term auricular acupuncture treatment were seen in the study. Auricular acupuncture may have potential benefit on obesity-related hormone peptides.

OBJECTIVE:To compare the effects of weight control on simple obese women between electroacupuncture and sit-up exercise. DESIGN: Randomized and crossover trial conducted from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002. The subjects were randomly divided into groups A and B. Group A received electroacupuncture treatment first while group B received sit-up exercise treatment first. After 6 weeks of treatment and 7 days of washout, group A switched to sit-up exercise treatment and group B received electroacupuncture treatment for another 6 weeks. PATIENTS: In total, 54 simple obese women, with waist circumference (WC)490 cm and body mass index (BMI)430 kg/m 2 , and who had not received any other weight control maneuver within the last 3 months. MEASUREMENT: The measurements of body weight (BW), BMI and WC were performed at the beginning, 6, 8 and 13 weeks. The data at different time periods were compared and expressed as % reductions. RESULTS: Electroacupuncture (n ¼ 46) showed significant differences in the % reductions in BW (P ¼ 0.001), BMI (P ¼ 0.003) and WC (P ¼ 0.005) compared with sit-up exercise. At the end of 13 weeks, there were no significant difference between groups A (n ¼ 24) and B (n ¼ 22) in all the measurements. At the end of the study, groups A and B showed significant differences in the % reductions in BW (P ¼ 0.004; 0.001), BMI (P ¼ 0.003; 0.021) and WC (Pr0.001; 0.001) compared with the initial values. CONCLUSIONS: Electroacupuncture treatment is more effective than sit-up exercise in reducing weight and WC, making it an alternative treatment option for weight and WC control on obese women.

Supplement of ABM extract improves insulin resistance among subjects with type 2 diabetes. The increase in adiponectin concentration after taking AMB extract for 12 weeks might be the mechanism that brings the beneficial effect. Studies with longer periods of follow-up should be conducted in the future.

In this pilot study, electroacupuncture treatment was more effective than situp exercise or no intervention in reducing BW, BMI, and WC.

Background: Hepatitis B is a global health problem. Use of complementary and alternative medicine has been popular among patients with hepatitis B. This 1-year open-label pilot study aims to observe whether Agaricus blazei Murill extract improves liver function in patients with hepatitis B.Methods: This study involved 12 months of clinical observation. Four (4) patients with hepatitis B who met the criteria (1) aged between 20 and 65 years; (2) being Chinese; (3) having been a hepatic B carrier (HBAg(ϩ)) for more than 3 years; (4) alanine aminotransferase Ͼ100 IU/L; and (5) not taking lamivudine, ␣-interferon, or other drugs for hepatitis participated in the study with informed consent. The enrolled patients were given Agaricus blazei Murill (ABM) extract of 1500 mg daily for 12 months. The level of alanine aminotransferase was taken as the major outcome measurement.Results: At the end of the study, the mean level of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase decreased from 246.0 (Ϯ standard deviation [SD] 138.9) to 61.3 (Ϯ SD 32.6) IU/L and 151.0 (Ϯ SD 86.9) to 46.1 (Ϯ SD 22.5) IU/L, respectively.Conclusions: Our initial observation seems to indicate the potential benefit of ABM extract in normalizing liver function of patients with hepatitis B. Controlled studies with larger samples should be conducted in the future.

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ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT00517933, NCT00650091, NCT00957242; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.