Cerebral Vasospasm Treated by Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology

A recent Chinese study demonstrated impressive results for patients suffering from cerbral vasospasm, a severe constriction of the arteries of the subarachnoid cavity of the brain. This type of problem can lead to decreased blood flow to the area and may cause ischemia, infarction, stroke and death. (a summary of the paper may be read here).

The research showed that,  

... combining acupuncture, herbal medicine and pharmaceutical medication together is significantly more effective than using only drugs.

 Here, at the clinic, we treat vasospasm but also many of the sequelae such as stroke paralysis and aphasia. 

Chronic Heart Failure and Acupuncture, "Impressive Results"

A recent study published in The American Journal of Physiology, Heart and Circulatory Physiology, a summary of which can be found here, found that several impressive clinical markers were improved by treating patients with acupuncture after an infarct, most dramatically the size of the enlarged heart was decreased.

The researchers note that Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) is associated with significant neurohumoral responses including excess sympathetic nervous system activity. In this laboratory experiment, acupuncture demonstrated significant homeostatic regulatory effects on sympathetic nervous system responses. Excess cardiac sympathetic afferent reflexes resulting in overactive sympathetic tone combined with deficient parasympathetic activity is contributory towards heart failure and the risk of sudden death. Acupuncture successfully demonstrated regulatory responses on these systems to improve overall cardiac health. 

The researchers note that CHF is associated with significant neurohumoral responses including excess sympathetic nervous system activity. In this laboratory experiment, acupuncture demonstrated significant homeostatic regulatory effects on sympathetic nervous system responses. Excess cardiac sympathetic afferent reflexes resulting in overactive sympathetic tone combined with deficient parasympathetic activity is contributory towards heart failure and the risk of sudden death. Acupuncture successfully demonstrated regulatory responses on these systems to improve overall cardiac health. 

At the Northside Holistic Center, we treat many cardiac issues, including CHF and the results can be quite dramatic.  

Acupuncture's Effectiveness Treating Breech Presentation, "Remarkable"

A breech presentation is a gestational problem where the infant is inverted relative to the position necessary for a healthy birth to occur. The ideal position for the fetus is with their head oriented toward the birth canal. In a breech, the child is head up/feet down. 

Acupuncturists are often sought out because of our long history treating breech and helping the infant move into the proper position for a healthy birth. We use a combination of acupuncture and a technique called moxa to encourage the body and the baby to move into the ideal conformation.

Research:

Many studies have been done all of which show a dramatic improvement in breech outcome. A representative study can be found in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA): 

In the results section of the study the treated women experienced

a mean of 48.45 fetal movements vs 35.35 in the control group (P<.001; 95% confidence interval [CI] for difference, 10.56-15.60). During the 35th week of gestation, 98 (75.4%) of 130 fetuses in the intervention group were cephalic vs 62 (47.7%) of 130 fetuses in the control group (P<.001; relative risk [RR], 1.58; 95% CI, 1.29-1.94). Despite the fact that 24 subjects in the control group and 1 subject in the intervention group underwent external cephalic version, 98 (75.4%) of the 130 fetuses in the intervention group were cephalic at birth vs 81 (62.3%) of the 130 fetuses in the control group (P = .02; RR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.02-1.43).

The researchers concluded that,

Among primigravidas with breech presentation during the 33rd week of gestation, moxibustion and acupuncture for 1 to 2 weeks increased fetal activity during the treatment period and cephalic presentation after the treatment period and at delivery.

Brilliant New Study on Acupuncture's Role in Controlling Lethal Inflammation

Septic reaction within the blood.A fascinating article summarizing and discussing several studies which looked at the role of acupuncture on the deadly inflammation which often follows bacterial sepsis was recently published in Scientific American. The article was exciting for several reasons, the first of which is that such a potent and life saving property of one specific acupoint has been revealed to the larger medical community (as acupuncturists were already aware of this). Yet another is that it marks yet another step in the long, yet ever shortening, staircase toward the acceptance of traditional Chinese medicine as a valid and valuable clinical resource. Perhaps just as important is the immediate and life saving function that acupuncture may now be allowed to have in a hospital setting:

Sepsis kills over 250,000 patients in the U.S. each year, more than 9 percent of overall deaths. Antibiotics can control sepsis-related infection, but no current drugs have FDA approval for counteracting the runaway immune response.

Also exciting is the notion, put forth in the article, that this may just the beginning of other investigations into the role that acupuncture may play in managing autoimmune reactions within the body. Something that we see a lot of in our clinics – running the wide gamut from rheumatoid arthritis to lupus and many disorders in between.

Prostate Hypertrophy Responds Well to Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology

Excerpted in entirety from here:

A Chinese study has found that electro-acupuncture (EA) at a single point, Zhongliao BL-33, could significantly reduce the symptoms of enlarged prostate in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A total of 100 men with moderate to severe BPH were randomly allocated either to a treatment group who received EA at Zhongliao BL-33, or a control group who received EA at a nearby non-acupoint. Patients received 16 acupuncture sessions; five in the first and second weeks and three in the third and fourth weeks. Six weeks from baseline, treatment group patients showed a significantly greater decline in prostate symptom scores than the control group, and this was found to persist at 18 weeks. No difference was found between the groups in terms of objective measures of urinary volume or flow rate. (Electroacupuncture for moderate and severe benign prostatic hyperplasia: a randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2013 Apr 12;8(4):e59449).

Prostate and other urinary and sexual issues often respond markedly to acupuncture and Chinese medical herbology and we see many such cases at the Northside Holistic Center.