Acupuncture

This research aims to understand how thumb-tack needle therapy affects sleep and recovery after surgery in patients who have undergone general anesthesia for breast cancer surgery. The study focuses on improving postoperative sleep quality, preventing sleep disorders, and promoting recovery following surgery. Participants are women aged 18 to 55 years with no history of chronic insomnia or recent use of sedative-hypnotic drugs. Participants in this observational study will undergo thumb-tack needle therapy as part of their postoperative care. The therapy's impact will be monitored without assigning different treatment groups. The study will follow patients before and after anesthesia exposure to observe changes in sleep quality and recovery. During the study, researchers will assess sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) one or two days before anesthesia and on days 1, 3, and 7 after anesthesia. Recovery will also be evaluated with the QoR-40 questionnaire on the third day after surgery. The study monitors patient progress to explore the clinical significance of thumb-tack needle therapy in improving postoperative outcomes.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a condition where symptoms worsen over time, and medications may become less effective, significantly lowering patients' quality of life. Recent findings suggest a close link between PD symptoms and intestinal health, especially in patients with chronic appendicitis. Acupuncture targeting points related to constipation and chronic appendicitis has shown promise in improving both motor and non-motor symptoms of PD, such as anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and cognitive dysfunction. This study aims to further understand acupuncture's role in treating PD comprehensively, particularly focusing on intestinal acupuncture. Participants in this randomized, double-blind trial will receive acupuncture treatment at specific points including Tianshu, Zusanli, Hegu, Taichong, Shangjuxu, Jigou, Zhaohai, Lanwei, and Shousanli. The interventions involve comfort needle and comfort embedding needle techniques. The study compares an experimental acupuncture group with a control group receiving sham acupuncture, where the needle only touches the skin without penetration. Treatment schedules and methods are designed to assess acupuncture's effects on PD symptoms in patients with chronic appendicitis. During the study, participants will be evaluated using the MDS Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III over three months to measure motor symptom changes. Researchers will monitor symptom improvements and adverse events while ensuring participants maintain stable anti-PD medication if used. The trial includes informed consent, clinical examinations, imaging for appendicitis confirmation, and other assessments to ensure safety and data accuracy. The total participation spans the treatment and follow-up periods up to the study's end in 2026.

Researchers are evaluating the effects of traditional Chinese medicine combined with intradermal acupuncture on girls with idiopathic precocious puberty, a condition characterized by early onset of puberty without an identifiable cause. This phase 3 randomized controlled trial aims to determine if combining acupuncture point stimulation with herbal treatment can improve symptoms and prevent the condition from worsening. The study focuses on girls with mild to moderate precocious puberty and explores whether this combined approach offers benefits beyond traditional herbal medicine alone. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive Ziyin-Xiehuo traditional Chinese medicine granules twice daily along with intradermal acupuncture point stimulation targeting specific points, applied three times daily with needles changed every two days, for a duration of six months. The other group will receive only the traditional Chinese medicine granules twice daily for the same six-month period. This design allows comparison between combined therapy and herbal medicine alone. During the study, researchers will monitor participants' breast development changes, particularly the reduction or disappearance of mammary nucleus size at three months. They will also assess bone age changes compared to chronological age over six months. Various evaluations such as ultrasound measurements of uterus and ovary size, Tanner staging, and hormone treatment history will be collected. Safety and efficacy will be carefully observed throughout the six-month treatment period.

This research aims to evaluate whether acupuncture-type transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (acu-TENS) can reduce pain by half during transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval (TUGOR) in women undergoing IVF treatment. The study is a prospective randomized controlled trial involving 144 women, designed to assess pain intensity and related stress and anxiety levels during the procedure. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either acu-TENS treatment, where electrical stimulation is applied to specific acupuncture points during TUGOR, or a sham acu-TENS without electrical current as a control. The treatment uses electrode pads connected to a TENS machine delivering specific pulse rates and current intensities during the procedure. Ultrasound guidance and ovum aspiration needles or catheters will be used for oocyte retrieval. Throughout the study, pain scores will be recorded before, during, and after TUGOR at multiple time points using a visual analog scale. Secondary measures include patient satisfaction, cooperation, anxiety, depression, saliva cortisol levels, and safety assessments. Data will be collected via questionnaires and clinical evaluations, with follow-up extending to several hours post-procedure to monitor outcomes and adverse events.

Researchers are investigating the role of acupuncture in managing pain and improving outcomes after total knee replacement surgery (TKA) for patients with primary osteoarthritis. This study aims to assess whether acupuncture can help control acute pain, prevent chronic pain, improve joint function, and increase patient satisfaction. The research also examines how acupuncture influences inflammation by measuring specific biomarkers, which may relate to recovery and long-term joint stiffness. Participants will receive standard anesthesiology care including sedation, regional nerve blocks, and pain medications. They will be randomly assigned to either a standard treatment group or an acupuncture group, which receives additional acupuncture and auriculotherapy sessions before and after surgery. The acupuncture treatment targets specific body and ear points over multiple sessions during the first three days post-surgery. Throughout the study, participants will be monitored regularly for pain levels, medication use, vital signs, joint mobility, and rehabilitation progress. Blood samples will be taken before surgery and at set intervals afterward to measure inflammation markers. Patient-reported outcomes and satisfaction will be collected up to one year post-surgery. Evaluations will be done in person or by phone if necessary, with the entire follow-up extending through one year after the operation.

Researchers are evaluating the effects of acupressure on cough and related symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue in lung cancer survivors. This randomized controlled trial aims to see if acupressure can reduce these symptoms, improve symptom burden, and enhance health-related quality of life and functional ability in patients with lung cancer. The study addresses the significant impact that cough and its related symptoms have on lung cancer survivors' quality of life and overall survival. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group receives an 8-week acupressure intervention, while the other receives an educational booklet about lung cancer, cough causes, and management. The acupressure group attends two hospital training sessions in the first week to learn the technique, then performs acupressure daily on 15 specific points twice a day and during coughing episodes as needed. The education group receives the booklet after baseline assessment and will be offered acupressure later after the study ends. Participants keep diaries of their acupressure practice and symptoms and are assessed four times: before starting (baseline), after one week, after eight weeks, and eight weeks after the intervention ends. Researchers measure cough, quality of life related to cough, symptom clusters, fatigue, shortness of breath, symptom burden, functional capacity, and overall health-related quality of life. Follow-up continues for 16 weeks to monitor lasting effects and safety throughout the study period.

Researchers are evaluating the use of acupuncture as an additional treatment for patients with glaucoma. This randomized controlled trial involves 50 subjects diagnosed with mild to moderate primary open-angle glaucoma, aiming to assess the clinical effects of acupuncture over a 12-week observation period. The study seeks to provide useful information for future treatment guidelines for glaucoma patients. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: the Ophthalmic Acupoint Treatment Group or the Non-ophthalmological Acupoint Control Group. Those in the treatment group will receive acupuncture at specific ophthalmology-related points designed to evoke the "De Qi" sensation, while the control group will get minimal acupuncture at different, non-ophthalmic points without this sensation. Both groups will have six weekly acupuncture sessions lasting 20 minutes each. During each visit, intraocular pressure, blood pressure, and heart rate will be measured. Before treatment and at 12 weeks, researchers will collect and analyze data including central corneal thickness, optical coherence tomography and angiography, visual field tests, and best-corrected visual acuity. Participants will also complete questionnaires assessing glaucoma symptoms and quality of life. The primary outcomes focus on changes in intraocular pressure throughout the treatment and observation periods.

This research aims to evaluate the potential benefits of acupuncture as a treatment for children aged 6 to 12 years with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It compares acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese herbal treatment to herbal treatment alone, using a mixed-methods approach that includes data mining, treatment outcome assessments, and patient perspectives. The study seeks to provide a detailed understanding of acupuncture's role in managing ADHD symptoms, executive function, quality of life, and sleep quality. Participants will be assigned to either an experimental group receiving acupuncture alongside herbal medicine or a control group receiving only the herbal treatment based on Chinese Medicine clinical guidelines. Acupuncture treatments involve specific needles and techniques informed by prior data analysis of effective acupoints for ADHD. Herbal treatments follow established clinical guidelines for pediatric ADHD. The study includes three phases: acupoint data mining, clinical intervention with repeated assessments, and qualitative interviews with children, caregivers, and clinicians. During the 12-month study, children will undergo quantitative assessments such as the SNAP-IV, Conners 3-P, BRIEF-2, PedsQL 4.0, PSQI, and CGI at baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up points to measure ADHD symptoms and related impacts. Qualitative interviews will explore treatment experiences and satisfaction. Researchers will analyze changes in symptoms, executive function, quality of life, and sleep, combining statistical methods with thematic analysis. The study starts in October 2024 and is expected to complete by May 2026.

Researchers are evaluating whether acupuncture, specifically the Dragon's protocol, can help reduce chronic pelvic pain in women aged 21 to 65. This study focuses on non-endometriosis pelvic pain and includes women both with and without a history of sexual assault. The Dragon's protocol acupuncture aims to address both physical pain and emotional trauma by combining external and internal acupuncture treatments to reprocess traumatic memories and potentially calm the nervous system. Participants will first undergo 4 weeks of standard pain care such as physical therapy, psychotherapy, or usual medical management. Then, the same women will receive acupuncture treatments once weekly for 4 weeks using the Dragon's protocol. The acupuncture involves placing needles on both the back (external dragons) and front (internal dragons) of the body during each session, aiming to balance traumatic memories and pain responses. Throughout the study, participants will complete pain assessments using the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS) and the Female Genitourinary Pain Index (GUPI) at multiple visits from week 0 to week 11. Women with a history of sexual trauma will also complete the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) to evaluate changes in PTSD symptoms. Visits include screening, baseline, weekly acupuncture sessions, and follow-ups, some of which may be virtual. Researchers will monitor pain levels and quality of life to understand the impact of the acupuncture treatment.

Researchers are evaluating acupuncture as a treatment for neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with long Covid, aiming to provide guidance for non-drug therapies. This pragmatic, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial will include 160 participants diagnosed by a registered Chinese medicine practitioner. The study will compare acupuncture to conventional therapy over a 12-week period to understand its effects on symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment, memory loss, and insomnia. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups: one receiving acupuncture and one receiving conventional treatment without acupuncture. The acupuncture group will have 24 sessions over 12 weeks, with treatments tailored based on traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation related to their main symptoms. Follow-up assessments will occur at week 18 to monitor changes after treatment ends. Throughout the study, participants will undergo various evaluations including cognitive testing with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), depression rating scales, insomnia severity, fatigue questionnaires, anxiety assessments, and traditional Chinese medicine symptom scales. These will be measured at baseline, during treatment at 6 and 12 weeks, and at the 18-week follow-up. The study aims to assess the impact of acupuncture on these neuropsychiatric symptoms and monitor participants' progress over time.