Clinical Utility of Electrodermal Activity at Acupuncture Points: A Narrative Review

Colbert, Agatha P.; Spaulding, Keith; Ahn, Andrew; Cutro, Janet A

doi:10.1136/acupmed-2011-010021

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…34 In a recent narrative review, the relation of acupuncture point electrodermal activity to pathology has been described. 35 In this review one blinded study found that electrodermal activity at auricular acupuncture points could be used to distinguish which patients had recent or prior cardiopathology and which were healthy control subjects. 36 The observation that traditional pathways of acupuncture meridians correspond to ultrasound images of connective tissue planes 30 has been followed by the insight that these meridian-oriented collagenous structures are associated with lower electrical impedance.…”

Section: Fundingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture for chronic pain and depression in primary care: a programme of research

MacPherson

Vickers

Bland

et al. 2017

Programme Grants Appl Res

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BackgroundThere has been an increase in the utilisation of acupuncture in recent years, yet the evidence base is insufficiently well established to be certain about its clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Addressing the questions related to the evidence base will reduce uncertainty and help policy- and decision-makers with regard to whether or not wider access is appropriate and provides value for money.AimOur aim was to establish the most reliable evidence on the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture for chronic pain by drawing on relevant evidence, including recent high-quality trials, and to develop fresh evidence on acupuncture for depression. To extend the evidence base we synthesised the results of published trials using robust systematic review methodology and conducted a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of acupuncture for depression.Methods and resultsWe synthesised the evidence from high-quality trials of acupuncture for chronic pain, consisting of musculoskeletal pain related to the neck and low back, osteoarthritis of the knee, and headache and migraine, involving nearly 18,000 patients. In an individual patient data (IPD) pairwise meta-analysis, acupuncture was significantly better than both sham acupuncture (p < 0.001) and usual care (p < 0.001) for all conditions. Using network meta-analyses, we compared acupuncture with other physical therapies for osteoarthritis of the knee. In both an analysis of all available evidence and an analysis of a subset of better-quality trials, using aggregate-level data, we found acupuncture to be one of the more effective therapies. We developed new Bayesian methods for analysing multiple individual patient-level data sets to evaluate heterogeneous continuous outcomes. An accompanying cost-effectiveness analysis found transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to be cost-effective for osteoarthritis at a threshold of £20,000 per quality-adjusted life-year when all trials were synthesised. When the analysis was restricted to trials of higher quality with adequate allocation concealment, acupuncture was cost-effective. In a RCT of acupuncture or counselling compared with usual care for depression, in which half the patients were also experiencing comorbid pain, we found acupuncture and counselling to be clinically effective and acupuncture to be cost-effective. For patients in whom acupuncture is inappropriate or unavailable, counselling is cost-effective.ConclusionWe have provided the most robust evidence from high-quality trials on acupuncture for chronic pain. The synthesis of high-quality IPD found that acupuncture was more effective than both usual care and sham acupuncture. Acupuncture is one of the more clinically effective physical therapies for osteoarthritis and is also cost-effective if only high-quality trials are analysed. When all trials are analysed, TENS is cost-effective. Promising clinical and economic evidence on acupuncture for depression needs to be extended to other contexts and settings. For the conditions we have investigated, the drawing together of evidence on acupuncture from this programme of research has substantially reduced levels of uncertainty. We have identified directions for further research. Our research also provides a valuable basis for considering the potential role of acupuncture as a referral option in health care and enabling providers and policy-makers to make decisions based on robust sources of evidence.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN63787732.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research programme.

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Section: Fundingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture for chronic pain and depression in primary care: a programme of research

MacPherson

Vickers

Bland

et al. 2017

Programme Grants Appl Res

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“…This review also highlighted the heterogeneity of approaches to EDA assessments and the discrepancies between common clinical practice and the scientific evidence to support that practice. 33 Therefore, although some types of instruments for acupoints' electrical conductance measurement are available on the market-and are used by some acupuncturists to help diagnose Qi imbalance, guide treatment strategies, and evaluate treatment outcomes-reliable and wide use of these instruments in patient care deserves further investigation. 33 About 5 years ago, a multichannel system for continuous measurement of skin resistance and capacitance at acupoints was developed in a research setting for obtaining accurate and reliable measurements.…”

Section: Reactions At the Acupoints When Needling Is Performedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupoints Initiate the Healing Process

Zhu

2014

Medical Acupuncture

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As an important modality of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture has been widely accepted by the Western world in the past 4 decades because of this modality's efficacy and safety. A vast amount of acupuncture research has been done. However, the mechanisms of acupuncture actions are still elusive. It is believed that the effects of acupuncture treatment begin from the moment of needle insertion. This review focuses on the acupuncture points and the three major reactions at the acupuncture points when needling is performed. These initial reactions may be the beginning of the healing process that initiates downstream effects through neuronal and humoral pathways. In addition to the physical reactions, this article also discusses the possibility of the effects of acupuncture on the healing process through a holistic pathway. Needling is the first step of traditional acupuncture therapy. Needling reactions- neuronal, biophysical, and biochemical-are the beginning of healing. The messengers of the three reactions involved may include neurotransmitters, cytokines, hormones, and inflammatory factors. Healing may be potentiated through these messengers in neuronal and humoral pathways. The reactions manifest as erythema and De Qi-both of which are common phenomena used as positive signs in acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture may also play a role in the healing process through the holistic pathway, which needs further study.

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“…While the physiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture have yet to be unambiguously identified, the balance of evidence favours quantitative differences in electrodermal properties between acupuncture points and surrounding skin [29,30]. There is also emerging evidence of correlations between connective tissue anatomy, microcirculatory blood flow, and acupuncture needling points [31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Auricular acupuncture for chemically dependent pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial of the NADA protocol

Janssen¹,

Kelly²,

Thiessen³

et al. 2013

Deutsche Zeitschrift für Akupunktur

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Background: The prevalence of maternal drug use during pregnancy in North America has been estimated to be as high as 6-10%. The consequences for the newborn include increased risk for perinatal mortality and ongoing physical, neurobehavioral, and psychosocial problems. Methadone is frequently used to wean women off street drugs but is implicated as a cause of adverse fetal/neonatal outcomes itself. The purpose of our study was to test the ability of maternal acupuncture treatment among mothers who use illicit drugs to reduce the frequency and severity of withdrawal symptoms among their newborns. Methods: We randomly assigned chemically dependent pregnant women at BC Women's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia to daily acupuncture treatments versus usual care. By necessity, neither our participants nor acupuncturists were blinded as to treatment allocation. Our primary outcome was days of neonatal morphine treatment for symptoms of neonatal withdrawal. Secondary neonatal outcomes included admission to a neonatal ICU and transfer to foster care. Results: We randomized 50 women to acupuncture and 39 to standard care. When analyzed by randomized groups, we did not find benefit of acupuncture; the average length of treatment with morphine for newborns in the acupuncture group was 2.7 (6.3) compared to 2.8 (7.0) in the control group. Among newborns of women who were compliant with the acupuncture regime, we observed a reduction of 2.1 and 1.5 days in length of treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome compared to the non-compliant and control groups, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Acupuncture may be a safe and feasible treatment to assist mothers to reduce their dosage of methadone. Our results should encourage ongoing studies to test the ability of acupuncture to mitigate the severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome among their newborns. Clinical Trial Registration: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov registry: W05-0041

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Clinical Utility of Electrodermal Activity at Acupuncture Points: A Narrative Review

Cited by 12 publications

References 13 publications

Acupuncture for chronic pain and depression in primary care: a programme of research

Acupuncture for chronic pain and depression in primary care: a programme of research

Acupoints Initiate the Healing Process

Auricular acupuncture for chemically dependent pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial of the NADA protocol

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