The State of 21st Century Acupuncture in the United States.

The term "acupuncture" commonly refers to a non-pharmacologic therapy that is increasingly employed by diverse segments of the population for a wide variety of complaints including pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, frozen shoulder, and other issues. The term is also used as a short-hand for the wider medical system from which the placement of needles into the skin for therapeutic benefit and related techniques evolved. Thus "acupuncture" refers both to the therapeutic technique and the therapeutic system of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (AHM).

Effectiveness and safety of adjunctive non-drug measures in improving respiratory symptoms among patients with severe COVID-19: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection posed a huge threat and burden to public healthcare in late 2022. Non-drug measures of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), such as acupuncture, cupping and moxibustion, are commonly used as adjuncts in China to help in severe cases, but their effects remain unclear.

Objectives: To observe the clinical effect of TCM non-drug measures in improving respiratory function and symptoms among patients with severe COVID-19.

Add-on astragalus in type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease: A multi-center, assessor-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Background: Diabetes leads to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney failure, requiring dialysis or transplantation. Astragalus, a common herbal medicine and US pharmacopeia-registered food ingredient, is shown kidney protective by retrospective and preclinical data but with limited long-term prospective clinical evidence. This trial aimed to assess the effectiveness of astragalus on kidney function decline in macroalbuminuric diabetic CKD patients.

Electroacupuncture for Pain Relief After Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Postoperative pain is a common problem after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Electroacupuncture (EA) is proven to be effective in relieving postoperative pain. However, EA has not been studied in patients undergoing ESS.

Add-on Rehmannia-6-Based Chinese Medicine in Type 2 Diabetes and CKD: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Diabetes is the leading cause of CKD and kidney failure. We assessed the real-world effectiveness of Rehmannia-6-based Chinese medicine treatment, the most used Chinese medicine formulation, on the change in eGFR and albuminuria in patients with diabetes and CKD with severely increased albuminuria.

Methods: In this randomized, assessor-blind, standard care-controlled, parallel, multicenter trial, 148 adult patients from outpatient clinics with type 2 diabetes, an eGFR of 30-90 ml/min per 1.

Acupuncture for chemotherapy-associated insomnia in breast cancer patients: an assessor-participant blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial.

Background: Insomnia is a highly prevalent symptom occurred during and post-chemotherapy. Acupuncture may have beneficial effects in the management of chemotherapy-associated insomnia. This study was conducted to determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in improving chemotherapy-associated insomnia in breast cancer patients.

Implementation science in traditional, complementary and integrative medicine: An overview of experiences from China and the United States.

Background: The introduction of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) services into health systems has been advocated by the World Health Organization, but there is a paucity of reviews synthesising the experiences of (i) implementing TCIM services in conventional healthcare settings and (ii) introducing evidence-based practice in TCIM. Knowledge of the first issue will assist policymakers to innovate implementation interventions in their own health system contexts. Addressing the second issue will facilitate the closure of the evidence-practice gap in TCIM and improve the translation of research evidence into health outcome benefits.

Invasive or noninvasive? A systematic review and network meta-analysis of acupuncture and acupressure to treat sleep disturbance in cancer patients.

Background: Both acupuncture and acupressure have been suggested beneficial for reducing sleep disturbance in cancer patients. While acupuncture is invasive involving needle insertion, acupressure is noninvasive. Their comparative effectiveness is unclear, hindering clinical recommendations.

Mapping of Spatiotemporal Auricular Electrophysiological Signals Reveals Human Biometric Clusters.

Underneath the ear skin there are rich vascular network and sensory nerve branches. Hence, the 3D mapping of auricular electrophysiological signals can provide new biomedical perspectives. However, it is still extremely challenging for current sensing techniques to cover the entire ultra-curved auricle.

A combination of electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture for postoperative pain after abdominal surgery for gynaecological diseases: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Postoperative pain following laparotomy for gynaecological diseases is a common problem that requires effective management to ensure patient satisfaction and recovery. Despite the wide use of acupuncture for pain management, knowledge of its efficacy in managing postoperative pain is limited. Previous literature used either acupuncture or auricular acupuncture alone.

Acupuncture for de Quervain's tenosynovitis: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Acupuncture has been an alternative approach for de Quervain's tenosynovitis (DQt), but trial evidence is still lacking.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of acupuncture in patients with DQt.

Study Design: A randomized controlled trial.

Acupuncture for cancer-related insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Cancer-related insomnia is a highly prevalent complaint in cancer patients. However, there is no meta-analytic synthesis explored the efficacy of acupuncture for cancer-related insomnia among cancer patients undergoing active cancer treatments.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to explore the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for insomnia in people diagnosed with cancer.

How to design high quality acupuncture trials-a consensus informed by evidence.

An international panel including patients, clinicians, researchers, acupuncture and surgery trialists, statisticians, and experts in clinical epidemiology and methodology have developed new guidance for randomised controlled trials in acupuncture. It addresses the most prevalent and critical concerns of current acupuncture trials and will help funding agencies, trial registers, and journal editors to evaluate the relevance, importance, and quality of submitted trial proposals and completed trials

Acupuncture for insomnia after ischemic stroke: an assessor-participant blinded, randomized controlled trial.

Background: To date, there has been little focus on research into acupuncture for insomnia after ischemic stroke. Insomnia is one of the most common sequelae after ischemic stroke, and it is the most unrecognized modifiable risk factor.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for insomnia after ischemic stroke.

Guideline Acupuncture for low back pain: a clinical practice guideline from the Hong Kong taskforce of standardized acupuncture practice.

Objective: To develop a clinical practice guideline to guide the treatment of low back pain by acupuncture.

Methods: An integrative approach of systematic review of literature, clinical evidence classification, expert opinion surveying, and consensus establishing via a Delphi program was utilized during the developing process. Both evidence-based practice standards and the personalized features of acupuncture were taken into considerations.

Methodological challenges in design and conduct of randomised controlled trials in acupuncture.

examine the problems with designing and implementing trials of acupuncture

Self-administered acupressure for insomnia disorder: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Insomnia is a significant health problem in the community. Self-administered acupressure (SAA) may be an alternative strategy to alleviate insomnia.

Purpose: This study is the first to investigate the effects of SAA delivered through a training course in alleviating insomnia disorder compared with sleep hygiene education (SHE).

Effectiveness of Integrative Chinese-Western Medicine for Chronic Kidney Disease and Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are pandemic, requiring more therapeutic options. This retrospective cohort evaluated the effectiveness, safety profile and prescription pattern of a pilot integrative medicine service program in Hong Kong. Data from 38 patients with diabetes and CKD enrolled to receive 48-week individualized add-on Chinese medicine (CM) were retrieved from the electronically linked hospital database.

Electroacupuncture Plus Auricular Acupressure on Chemotherapy-Related Insomnia in Patients With Breast Cancer (EACRI): Study Protocol for a Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial.

Objective: Insomnia is a highly prevalent and disturbing symptom in breast cancer patients under or post chemotherapy. If not appropriately treated, it can persist for years after the completion of cancer treatments. Acupuncture has been widely used for alleviating insomnia.

Integrative oncology: Addressing the global challenges of cancer prevention and treatment.

The increase in cancer incidence and mortality is challenging current cancer care delivery globally, disproportionally affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) when it comes to receiving evidence-based cancer prevention, treatment, and palliative and survivorship care. Patients in LMICs often rely on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) that is more familiar, less costly, and widely available. However, spheres of influence and tensions between conventional medicine and TCIM can further disrupt efforts in evidence-based cancer care.

Botanical Drug Puerarin Ameliorates Liposaccharide-Induced Depressive Behaviors in Mice via Inhibiting RagA/mTOR/p70S6K Pathways.

Background: The depressive symptom hallmarks the progression of the neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer's disease. Bacterial infection is related to inflammation and depression. The present project thereby examined whether botanical drug puerarin could attenuate liposaccharide- (LPS-) induced depressive behaviors in mice.

Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis: Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture as Adjuvant Therapy for Side Effects Management in Drug Therapy-Receiving Breast Cancer Patients.

Objective: To investigate the potential benefits and safety of acupuncture on managing side effects induced by drug therapies in patients with breast cancer using a PRISMA standard systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: Published randomised controlled trials from nine databases in English and Chinese language were searched. Trials with a real acupuncture treatment group and a control group with sham acupuncture, no treatment, or waitlist control were included.