Acupuncture

Is acupuncture an effective treatment for temporomandibular disorder?: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Rowan Hutchins — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Date Added:

October 4, 2023

Journal/Publication:

Medicine

Publication Date:

September 22, 2023

Issue:

Volume:

102

URL:

Is acupuncture an effective treatment for temporomandibular disorder?: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1097/MD.0000000000034950

Keywords

Acupuncture

PMID (1):

37746950

MeSH

Acupuncture Therapy*

Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders* / therapy

treatment outcome

Acupuncture appears to be pretty effective for reducing the discomfort associated with conditions involving the TM joint and its associated muscles. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Background:
Acupuncture is used for treating various disorders, but its effects on temporomandibular disorder (TMD) remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for TMD via a systematic review of randomized clinical trials.

Methods:
A total of 11 Korean and worldwide databases were searched to identify acupuncture studies in adults with TMD. A Cochrane risk of bias assessment was performed on all articles; a meta-analysis, which involved the categorization according to the type of control used (inactive control, active control, or add-on), was subsequently performed. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology.

Results:
The qualitative analysis of randomized clinical trials with acupuncture as the intervention included 32 articles, 22 of which were included in the quantitative analysis (471 participants). Acupuncture significantly improved outcomes (effect rate, relative risk [RR]: 7.00, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.91, 25, 62; visual analog scale, standardized mean difference: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.73) versus active controls (effect rate, RR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.27). In the analysis of add-ons, acupuncture significantly improved the effect rate and pain intensity (effect rate, RR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.77; visual analog scale, mean difference: −1.23; 95% CI −1.79, −0.67). However, the quality of evidence was determined to range from low to very low.

Conclusion:
Acupuncture in TMD significantly improved outcomes versus active controls and when add-on treatments were applied. However, as the quality of evidence was determined to be low, well-designed clinical trials should be conducted in the future.

Author/s:

Park, Eun Young, Cho, Jae-Heung, Lee, Sook-Hyun, Kim, Koh-Woon, Ha, In-Hyuk, Lee, Yoon Jae

Acupuncture Treatment for Symptom Management in Atopic Dermatitis: A Study Protocol for a Randomized, Participant- and Assessor-Blind, Sham-Controlled Trial

Saige Blanchard — Wed, 05 May 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Date Added:

May 5, 2021

Journal/Publication:

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Publication Date:

May 2, 2019

URL:

Acupuncture Treatment for Symptom Management in Atopic Dermatitis: A Study Protocol for a Randomized, Participant- and Assessor-Blind, Sham-Controlled Trial

Type:

Clinical Research Results

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/1907578

Keywords

PMID (1):

31186656

MeSH

I would never have imagined that acupuncture could help patients with atopic dermatitis, but it looks like it can.

James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with persistent itching, which impairs quality of life (QoL). Although various conventional treatments for AD exist, patients with AD often seek complementary and alternative therapies when conventional therapy has failed to relieve their AD symptoms or has had adverse effects. Acupuncture treatment may relieve AD symptoms, but controlled trials are needed to confirm this. Following our pilot study, which found that acupuncture treatment improves AD symptoms in mild-to-moderate AD patients, we will assess the effect of acupuncture treatment for symptom relief of AD using a trial with a complemented protocol. This is a two-arm, randomized, participant- and assessor-blinded, sham-controlled trial. A total of 36 mild-to-moderate AD patients will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive eight sessions twice weekly of either verum acupuncture (VA) or nonpenetrating sham acupuncture (SA) over four weeks. The primary outcome measured will be the change in the total Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) score. Secondary outcomes will be (1) changes in AD symptoms, QoL, dyspepsia symptoms, and electroencephalography (EEG) between baseline and week 4 and (2) changes in AD symptoms and QoL at baseline and at weeks 2, 4, and 8. This study will assess acupuncture treatment for the alleviation of AD symptoms in patients with mild-to-moderate AD. This clinical trial gas been registered in Korean Clinical Trial Registry (registration number: KCT0002796; date of registration: April 13, 2018).

Author/s:

Park. J. G., Park, H.J., Chae, Y., Kim, Y., Lee, H., Kim, K.

Acupuncture for Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Brian Desmarais — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 20:03:36 +0000

Date Added:

July 9, 2020

Journal/Publication:

An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Publication Date:

May 4, 2020

URL:

Acupuncture for Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1111/1471-0528.16315.

Keywords

recurrent urinary tract infection

For reasons that are unclear to me, acupuncture may be at least as effective for prevention and management of recurrent urinary tract infections in women as antibiotics. Though the quality of the evidence is only low to moderate, and the quality of acupuncture was probably high, it may still be worth trying in selected cases. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Abstract

Background: Increasing antibiotic resistance has motivated interest in non-antibiotic prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTI).

Objectives: To conduct a systematic review of the current state of evidence of acupuncture for uncomplicated rUTI in women.

Search strategy: Nine databases (PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, AMED, CBM, CNKI, CQVIP, Wanfang) were searched from inception to February 2019.

Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of acupuncture and related therapies for prophylaxis or treatment of uncomplicated rUTI in women were included.

Data collection and analysis: Risk of bias was assessed, and the quality and strength of evidence evaluated using the GRADE framework. Results were reported as risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous outcomes or mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes, with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Main results: Five RCTs involving 341 participants were included. Methodological quality of studies and strength of the evidence were low to moderate. The chance of achieving a composite cure with acupuncture therapies was greater than that with antibiotics (three studies, 170 participants, RR 1.92, 95% CI 1.31-2.81, I2 = 38%). The risk of UTI recurrence was lower with acupuncture than with no treatment (two studies, 135 participants, RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.26-0.58, I2= 0%) and sham acupuncture (one study, 53 participants, RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.22-0.92).

Conclusions: Acupuncture appeared to be beneficial for treatment and prophylaxis of rUTIs, noting the limitations of the current evidence. Given the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance, there is a need for high-quality RCTs of non-pharmacological interventions such as acupuncture.

Tweetable abstract: This review found that acupuncture may improve treatment and prevent recurrence of urinary tract infection in women.

Keywords: Acupuncture; prophylaxis; recurrent urinary tract infection; systematic review; treatment.

Author/s:

Qin, X., Corle, M.E., Yang, L., Liang, J., Wang, K., Guo, X., Zhang, A.L., Mao, L., Lu, C., Xue, C.C., Liu, X.