Insights & Discussion
Moving cupping therapy, alone or coupled with other treatments, could effectively alleviate symptoms of plaque psoriasis with minimal side effects.
The researchers conducted an exhaustive review of various databases up until March 2020, including PubMed, Embase, and others. The review focused on randomized controlled trials concerning the treatment of plaque psoriasis using moving cupping therapy, either alone or combined with Chinese herbs or conventional Western medicine. The effects obtained from these trials were contrasted with outcomes from placebo-controlled, pharmaceutical medication-based or Chinese herb-based treatments. They also compared the frequency of the moving cupping treatment.
After a meticulous selection process, sixteen trials involving 1164 participants met the entry criteria. The meta-analysis demonstrated that those who underwent moving cupping therapy exhibited significant symptom improvement compared to those who did not. Additionally, the combination of moving cupping and pharmaceutical medications proved to be more effective than pharmaceutical treatments alone. The recurring rate of psoriasis also substantially dropped due to cupping therapy. While moving cupping reduced some blood markers more effectively than conventional medicine did, it didn't show distinct advantages in the visual analogue score. Few transient side effects like redness, itching, and local skin burning were reported associated with moving cupping therapy.
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Some complementary approaches, such as massage and herbal ointments, show promise in reducing postpartum pain.
2022 Integrative Medicine Research The effectiveness and safety of complementary health approaches to managing postpartum pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis Smith CA, Hill E, Denejkina A, Thornton C, Dahlen HG
Systematic Review Acupuncture
This passage discusses a systematic review aimed at examining the effectiveness and safety of non-pharmacological methods for managing postpartum pain in women. The review included 30 trials involving both first-time and experienced mothers who experienced pain in the two weeks following childbirth. The primary focus was on pain reduction. The review found that massage showed a reduction in pain for women who had undergone caesarean births within the first 24 hours postpartum and at seven days postpartum. Additionally, herbal ointments were found to reduce perineal pain for women who had received an episiotomy within the first 24 hours and at 14 days postpartum. However, the number of trials reporting on safety was limited, and the overall quality of evidence was deemed very low. The conclusion emphasizes the need for further high-quality trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of herbal ointment and massage during the early postpartum period.
Acupuncture therapy could potentially serve as an effective supplementary treatment method for psoriasis.
2021 Annals of Palliative Medicine Efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for psoriasis: an overview of systematic reviews Jing M, Shi L, Zhang Y, Zhu M, Yuan F, Zhu B, et al.
Review Article Psoriasis
The methodology of this study involved a thorough search across eight electronic databases, include grey, or unpublished, literatures. The search ranged from the date of inception of these databases to July 2021. Researchers used strict criteria to select which systematic reviews and meta-analyses to include in their analysis. The selected reviews were then assessed using specific tools to evaluate their methodological quality, reporting quality, bias risk, and the overall quality of primary outcome measures.
In the results discussion, it was found that, of the seven systematic reviews and meta-analyses that met the inclusion criteria, all were deemed to have low methodological quality and contained major discrepancies in their financial statements, protocols, and registrations. Two of these studies were considered to have a low risk of bias. Out of 27 outcomes investigated in this review, only one was classified as high-quality evidence, seven as moderate-quality, and 19 as low-quality. Despite these findings, the researchers cautiously endorse acupuncture as a supplementary treatment method for psoriasis, although this endorsement is based mostly on lower-quality evidence.
Cupping therapy, as an adjunct to current treatments, may potentially enhance efficacy when treating patients with chronic urticaria.
2020 Journal of Integrative Medicine Cupping therapy for patients with chronic urticaria: A systematic review and meta-analysis Xiao, X., Zhang, L., Shi, Y., et al.
Systematic Review Hives Skin Conditions
The research adopted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials, with the focus on efficacy and safety of cupping therapy for chronic urticaria. The researchers employed a search strategy aimed at identifying related keywords like "chronic urticaria" and "cupping therapy" in the title and abstracts, sourced from nine major electronic databases up till May 2019. Only trials that included patients with chronic urticaria who received dry or wet cupping were considered. The quality of the methodological design and potential bias of the studies were evaluated.
The findings suggest the efficacy of cupping therapy when used, not as a standalone treatment, but as an adjunct to other treatments, particularly to antihistamines and acupuncture. In a sample of trials, there were no significant differences between using wet cupping and conventional medications in terms of their total effective rate. However, cupping therapy combined with antihistamines or acupuncture was found to be more effective than when these treatments were used separately. No serious adverse events were reported as part of these findings.
Traditional Chinese medicine could potentially serve as an effective alternative therapy for managing Psoriasis vulgaris.
2020 Journal of Dermatological Treatment Evidence and potential mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris: a systematic review and meta-analysis Dai D, Wu H, He C, Wang X, Luo Y, Song P
Systematic Review Psoriasis
The methodology for this study involved reviewing controlled clinical trials regarding Traditional Chinese Medicine's (TCM) use for Psoriasis vulgaris (PV) treatment, conducted within the past decade. Over 2000 papers were considered, from which 17 high-quality articles were selectively reviewed. Aspects such as design defects, small sample size, and inadequate intervention time in some trials were noted, affecting their potential for full clarification of TCM's role in PV treatment.
Results from the accumulated data insinuated that Traditional Chinese Medicine might hold the multi-target advantage to substantially lower the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores, thereby benefiting PV management. In addition to its potential efficacy, the safety of using TCM for treating Psoriasis vulgaris was also evaluated during this review.
Cupping therapy has demonstrated notable effects in reducing chronic back pain in adults.
2018 Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem Cupping therapy and chronic back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis Moura, C. C., Chaves, É., Cardoso, A., et al.
Systematic Review Back Pain Back, Hip & Leg Pain
The systematic review and meta-analysis involved two independent researchers who examined national and international databases. They also explored the reference lists of additional systematic reviews. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Jadad scale, a globally recognized tool assessing the methodological quality of clinical trials.
Extracting 16 studies for qualitative review and 10 for quantitative analysis, the research found positive impacts of cupping therapy on chronic back pain in adults. It was noted that there isn't a standardized protocol for treatment with this therapy. The study mainly evaluated outcomes based on factors such as pain intensity, physical incapacity, the quality of life, and the nociceptive threshold before the application of mechanical stimulus. A noteworthy reduction in pain intensity was seen through the use of cupping therapy.
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