Acubriefs Newsletter Summer 2004 - 2nd Quarter Volume 5, No. 1

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Acubriefs Newsletter Volume 5 Issue 2

Summer 2004

To view this newsletter online (and this month's New Citations), visit

http://www.acubriefs.com/newsletters/newsletter_Q304.htm

 

Dear Acubriefs reader,

Our quarterly newsletter plans to review the acupuncture

literature pertaining to certain specialties, contexts, or diagnoses. We

expect to cover the role of acupuncture and the peri-operative period in

the Fall Newsletter.

If you are looking for abstracts of the current literature

similar to what we have provided in past issues I have three

suggestions: the quarterly journals Focus on Alternative and

Complementary Therapies - An Evidence-based Approach (contact and

subscription information at http://www.ex.ac.uk/FACT/ ) and Acupuncture

in Medicine -the Journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society at:

http://www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk/aimintro.html . Abstracts of

current literature are included at the end of the journal. Also the

AAMA journal Medical Acupuncture often includes old abstracts at:

http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/aama_marf/journal/index.html

 

For my own interest and in view of a possible future

consensus on the subject I asked a number of leading researchers in

acupuncture to comment on, or add to my list of clinical acupuncture

research questions I'd like answers to. Here's my non-prioritized list:

 

 

A. What are the best predictors, aside from diagnosis, as to positive

outcomes from acupuncture? Based upon current research is cognitive

orientation in chronic pain patients the best predictor of outcome?

 

B. What background/training in the West is associated with the best

acupuncture outcomes? Is there a difference between the West and East in

this regard?

 

C. What duration/depth of needle placements are associated with the

best outcomes in pain or non-painful conditions?

 

D. Is there ever any difference in outcome based on the type of

acupuncture needle used?

 

E. Can one predict the number or frequency of treatments indicated for

optimal outcomes?

 

F. Are non-needling techniques as effective as needling techniques? Is

there a difference between painful and non-painful conditions?

 

G. Does studying acupuncture in an RCT format significantly change the

observed outcomes?

 

H. What role if any does intent play in acupuncture results?

 

I. Does individualized care based on the practitioner and/or the patient

influence outcomes?

 

J. Does keeping chart notes regarding acupuncture treatments improve

outcomes?

 

K. In what clinical circumstances does using acupuncture as adjunctive

therapy make a difference?

 

L. In what if any circumstances might acupuncture improve or prevent

deterioration of eyesight, hearing, or memory?

 

M. Given that acupuncture patients often are most concerned about a

change in their subjective state, how might clinical designs best

reflect this patient bias?

 

N. Besides possibly enhancing the placebo effect, what are the Western

mechanisms of action that clearly and irrefutably explain how

acupuncture works? i.e. Can we irrefutably say that increasing

endorphins explains how acupuncture relieves pain especially in the

context of chronic pain?

 

O. George Lewith added this questions which I greatly appreciate: How

much of the effect of acupuncture is point specific and how much is due

to the process of acupuncture? i.e. What are the effect sizes of the

specific and non-specific effects of acupuncture treatment? Are they the

same for pain and non-painful conditions?

 

As you see these questions don't address design issues, null hypotheses,

or discuss how best to answer the questions. Rather, I find it

interesting and informative to outline some of the more important

current clinical research questions.

 

So now it is your turn. I invite you to email me at poll

with your top five questions. If you have a question that isn't listed

above and is among your top five please write it out. Otherwise, in the

text of your email, list in the order of priority the letters that

correspond to your top five questions. If we get a reasonable sampling

I'll report the findings in the Fall Newsletter.

 

Currently the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture and our

advertisers are providing generous support for www.acubriefs.com . We

are regularly looking for ways to expand funding sources for Acubriefs.

Please write admin with any suggestions/comments you have

regarding funding options. Thank you.

 

James K. Rotchford MD, MPH, Editor

 

Though we are publishing Acubriefs Newsletter quarterly, our New

Citations pages are updated each month.

The April 2004 New Citations (129) are here:

http://www.acubriefs.com/citations/04.04.citations.htm

May New Citations (137) are here:

http://www.acubriefs.com/citations/05.04.citations.htm

This Newsletter, plus the New Citations added this month (218), may be

viewed at: http://www.acubriefs.com/newsletter_current.htm

 

 

Acubriefs Newsletter has three objectives:

1. To provide a centralized resource for reviewing new citations on

acupuncture in English.

2. To provide annotated abstracts on citations of particular interest to

clinicians and researchers.

3. To facilitate access to citations quoted/reviewed. (Please let us

know if you have suggestions on how we might better meet these

objectives)

The editor for the newsletter is J.K. Rotchford MD, MPH, Past President

of the Medical Acupuncture Research Foundation.

 

At Acubriefs.com, we invite readers to:

Comment on Acubriefs reviews

Read comments others have made

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Search the Acubriefs Database for similar articles

Search the Acubriefs Review Database for past reviews

Submit references to our database, using our online form, or by email to

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