Chinese Medicine Has Potent Treatments for Dementia

While acupuncture and Chinese medicine are frequently used to treat dementia in many parts of the world, the practice is not as frequently used in the United States as it should be. At the Northside Holistic Center we often treat dementia stemming from a variety of causes. The results can often be very gratifying.

Research/Articles

This article from the Taiwan News describes research into one of the herbs, Tian Ma that we frequently use in practice. The article, which can be read here, says:

...studies conducted by the Taiwanese institution have shown that tianma can be effective in curbing the effects of diseases ranging from dementia to spino-cerebellar atrophy, Huntington’s Disease and other ailments of the cerebral and nervous system. Research has shown that tianma can slow or reduce the effects of these diseases but so far it has not been established whether it can actually cure the diseases themselves.

http://zorgenvoormijnmoeder.blogspot.com

While it is true that we treat dementia with some moderate success and that Tian Ma may be one of the herbs that would be included in a formula and acupuncture protocol for this type of complaint, it would never be true that we would use one ingredient alone for such a purpose. Still, it for the purpose of research, it is useful to have yet another item in our toolbox validated by Western methods.

Another interesting reductionist, yet fascinating, study is one published by Japanese researchers and viewable here, looks at the effect of one acupuncture point that we might choose to treat cognitive issues. Again, this point would not be used on it's own, but only in the larger context of a treatment protocol. The study suggests that acupuncture enhances blood flow to the brain without altering the overall blood pressure in the region, a highly desirable goal.

Scientists measured the effects of acupuncture at [acupoint] DU-20 on blood flow velocities in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and anterior cerebral artery (ACA), in 10 healthy male subjects. Mean MCA and ACA blood flow velocities at rest increased significantly after DU-20 acupuncture treatment, whereas mean arterial blood pressure and pulse rate at rest did not change significantly.

Another study which looked at the herbal aspect of what acupuncturists do for people with dementia, looks at one of the many formula which we may use for patients who come to us for Alzheimer's disease. This study, published in Neuroscience Letters (and readable here) found that,

Treatment with the Chinese herbal formula Fuzhisan (FZS) may have a positive effect on cognition, behavioral functions, and cerebral glucose metabolism in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease 

Twenty-two subjects were randomly assigned to receive FZS or placebo for 12 weeks. Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to study the regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose consumption (rCMRglc) at baseline and week 12. Compared with placebo, FZS significantly improved cognitive and behavioural scores at week 12. In addition, FZS treatment favorably improved rCMRglc in the bilateral temporal and parietal cortices, hippocampus and posterior cingulate gyrus.

 Two recent studies, which can be read about here, finds further evidence that acupuncture is very useful in the treatment of vascular dementia – the type most commonly linked to strokes. The first concluded that,

. . . that acupuncture is effective in improving cognition . . . [and] observed that acupuncture measurably reduced levels of 8-OHdG, a marker of oxidative damage. As a result, the researchers conclude “that acupuncture is beneficial at least in part by preventing oxidative damage.”

The second study compared two different acupuncture protocols to one another. These two types, termed 'scalp acupuncture' and 'body acupuncture' were both found to be very useful in treating vascular dementia but,

The scalp acupuncture group showed significantly greater improvements in cognition than the body-style acupuncture group. Social behavior scores and ADL (Activities of Daily Living) improved significantly in both groups. The researchers concluded that scalp acupuncture significantly improves cognition, activities of daily living, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) signs and symptoms, mental state and social behavior in patients with vascular dementia. 

Lymphedema Well Treated by Acupuncture

At the Northside Holistic Center we routinely and successfully treat lymphedema, usually as a sequelae from breast cancer surgeries where lymph nodes were removed. 

• A study, recently published by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center demonstrated what many of our patients have already learned:

Acupuncture significantly reduces lymphoedema related arm swelling in women after breast cancer surgery.

Researchers found that,

existing conventional treatments for lymphoedema are only “marginally beneficial, rarely reducing arm swelling in any meaningful way.” The new study concludes that acupuncture is safe and that some of the women in the study showed a 30 percent or better reduction of lymphoedema related arm swelling.

 An article about the study can be read here. 

• A small study, published in the Journal of Acupuncture Medicine, found that, 

A small US pilot study has found that acupuncture may help reduce lymphoedema associated with breast cancer surgery. Nine women with chronic lymphoedema following breast cancer surgery received acupuncture twice a week for four weeks. Four women showed at least a 30% reduction in the extent of lymphoedema at four weeks when compared with their respective baseline values.

A synopsis of this article can be read here.

Study Suggests a Role for Acupuncture in Schizophrenia Treatment

A UK study found that patients with schizophrenia benefited from twice weekly acupuncture treatments, in addition to their mainstream care. The study, which can be read about here, found that,

Acupuncture caused a decrease in the, “side effects of antipsychotic medication; decreased auditory, visual and tactile hallucinations; decreased anxiety and paranoia; improved sleep patterns… increased motivation including increased sex drive and ambition to further themselves in education and work; improved socialization and concentration… reduced addictive behavior in relation to alcohol and cigarettes; improved diet and weight loss; and improved exercise regimes.

Menstrual Pain Responds Well to Acupuncture

Many women in the western world experience pain directly before and/or during their period. From a Chinese medical perspective this is not healthy and reflects an imbalance in the way that the body is functioning. Happily, acupuncture and Chinese medicine are extremely useful in treating PMS, period pain, and the other attendant issues which can accompany the menstrual cycle. 

Perhaps just as important is the that once a course of treatment has been completed, most women find that their period related discomfort is indefinitely improved and that other bodily functions are concurrently improved.

Research and Articles

• A pilot study, published in the European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, which can be read about here, compared the use of pain killing medication to acupuncture and found that,

After one month's treatment, pain scores were significantly lower in both groups (p<0.05). Mean pain scores decreased by 52.2% and 69.5% in the NSAID and acupuncture groups, respectively.

Concluding that,

Acupuncture was as [at least, if not more] effective as NSAID therapy for patients with primary dysmenorrhea.

• The Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Economics published a study of more than 600 women, in which it was determined that:

...acupuncture in patients with dysmenorrhea was associated with improvements in pain and quality of life as compared to treatment with usual care alone and was cost-effective within usual thresholds.

 An Italian study showed that 87% of the women who received acupuncture for painful periods had significant pain reduction with their period and concluded that,

Our findings suggest that acupuncture may be indicated to treat dysmenorrhea related pain, in particular in those subjects in whom NSAID or oral contraceptives are contraindicated or refused.

-Acupuncture Treatment of Dysmenorrhea Resistant to Conventional Medical Treatment

V. Iorno1, et al. Centro di Medicina del Dolore ‘Mario Tiengo’ Osp Maggiore Policlinico Mangiagalli Regina Elena, Milano

An article in the March 2011 issue of The Clinical Journal of Pain found that treating patients with acupuncture had a clear pain reducing effect, which was independent of circulating prostaglandin levels in the blood. A summary of the study can be read here. 

Treatment of Premature Ovarian Failure With Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine

This article presents the way in which acupuncturist conceptualize and treat premature ovarian failure (POF) within the framework of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is common to have women present with POF in our clinic as a reason for infertility and it responds very well to acupuncture intervention. The author concludes by saying:

TCM is the most effective and beneficial treatment for POF, which relies on precise diagnosis and differentiation, appropriate acupuncture and herbal prescription. However, we must individualise the treatment programme according to their conditions in order to achieve the best results.

Once the women’s ovarian function is restored, and FSH dropped to normal level, they generally have great chances of conceiving naturally if they continue TCM treatment . . .