The precarious use of charm needles susuk in treatment of low back pain by traditional medicine practitioners and its possible risk to patient safety.

Med J Malaysia

National Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence for Research and Learning (NOCERAL), Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Published: January 2020

A 68-year-old female presented with a 1-month history of lower back pain with right-sided radiculopathy and numbness. She was diagnosed with lumbar spondylosis and treated conservatively with analgesia and physiotherapy. Imaging showed multiple susuk, a metal alloy, in the lower back region and other regions of the body. The patient had undergone traditional medicine consultation 10 years earlier when the susuk was inserted in the lower back as talisman. The practice of the insertion of susuk is popular in rural East Malaysia and Indonesia. These foreign bodies act as possible causes of chronic inflammation and granuloma formation. In addition, the localised heighten peril upon imaging. This report suggests that the insertion of multiple susuk as talisman carries risk to safety of patients when imaging, and this practice complicates the management of musculoskeletal disorders.

Download full-text PDF

Source

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

traditional medicine
8
multiple susuk
8
susuk
5
precarious charm
4
charm needles
4
needles susuk
4
susuk treatment
4
treatment low
4
low pain
4
pain traditional
4

Similar Publications

Drug Development.

Alzheimers Dement

December 2024

Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, Beijing, China.

Background: Effective early intervention of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the key for preventing dementia. However, there is currently no drug for MCI. As a multi-targeted neuroprotective agent, butylphthalide has been demonstrated to repair cognition in patients with vascular cognitive impairment, and has the potential to treat MCI due to Alzheimer's disease (AD).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Drug Development.

Alzheimers Dement

December 2024

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Background: Blood pressure (BP) management is an accessible therapeutic target for dementia prevention. BP variability (BPV) is a newer aspect of BP control recently associated with cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD), independent of traditionally targeted mean BP levels. Most of this work has relied on largely non-Hispanic White study samples in observational cohorts.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The TaRget Enablement to Accelerate Therapy Development of Alzheimer's Disease (TREAT-AD) Centers are dedicated to identifying and validating targets from the NIH Accelerating Medicines Partnership for Alzheimer's Disease (AMP-AD). The centers develop Target Enabling Packages (TEPs) to explore new therapeutic target hypotheses, moving beyond the traditional focus on amyloid or tau pathologies. In accordance with open science principles, data, methods, and tools are freely shared with the research community via an open-access platform, the AD Knowledge Portal.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Drug Development.

Alzheimers Dement

December 2024

Unlearn.AI, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Background: Pivotal Alzheimer's Disease (AD) trials typically require thousands of participants, resulting in long enrollment timelines and substantial costs. We leverage deep learning predictive models to create prognostic scores (forecasted control outcome) of trial participants and in combination with a linear statistical model to increase statistical power in randomized clinical trials (RCT). This is a straightforward extension of the traditional RCT analysis, allowing for ease of use in any clinical program.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cognitive impairment, a common aging-related pathology, is a risk factor for dementia. Echinacoside (ECH), derived from the traditional Chinese medicine Cistanche deserticola, shows anti-aging properties including anti-inflammation, oxidative stress reduction, and neuronal protection. Despite its benefits, the beneficial impact of ECH on age-related cognitive decline remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!