Insights & Discussion
There is limited evidence that acupuncture is safe and might be effective in pain relieving for patients with postherpetic neuralgia.
Seven RCTs comparing acupuncture versus pharmacologic therapy were included. Meta-analysis was conducted for acupuncture's effect on postherpetic neuralgia evaluating by pain intensity. Results from 2 RCTs showed that compared with pharmacologic therapy, acupuncture was better in decreasing the pain intensity measured by visual analog scale score. The limitations of the study are as follows: only trials comparing acupuncture versus pharmacologic therapy were included and all of the included trials were performed in China.
Discover Related Insights
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 Cupping Hives
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.
Acupuncture shows potential in reducing pain intensity, alleviating anxiety, and improving quality of life for patients suffering from postherpetic neuralgia.
2019 Journal of Pain Research Is acupuncture an effective postherpetic neuralgia treatment? A systematic review and meta-analysis Pei, W., Zeng, J., Lu, L., et al.
Systematic Review Postherpetic Neuralgia Shingles
Methodology: To understand the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating postherpetic neuralgia, six different databases were examined for randomized controlled trials. The data from these studies was extracted and further assessed for quality. A meta-analysis was conducted on a selection of these studies using the software RevMan 5.3. Additionally, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation system contributed towards evaluating the overall quality of the evidence presented in these studies.
Discussion: The research establishes that acupuncture has a positive effect on postherpetic neuralgia, such as lowering the intensity of pain experienced and reducing the scores on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. Other forms of intervention like electroacupuncture, fire needle, and bloodletting and cupping also proved effective in relieving pain. The results also indicate an enhanced quality of life for those individuals who used acupuncture. The quality of evidence that supports the use of acupuncture for this type of pain was judged to be moderate.
Acupuncture may improve symptoms in patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis.
2018 Complementary Therapies in Medicine Acupuncture improves symptoms in patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis: A randomized, sham-controlled preliminary trial Smith CA, Armour M, Lee MS, Wang LQ, Hay PJ
Randomised Controlled Trial Eczema
The SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), VAS (Pruritus), VAS (Insomnia), Patient Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) were significantly improved in the real acupuncture groups.
Acupuncture has similar efficacy compared to pharmacotherapies for acne vulgaris, however acupuncture interventions reported less adverse effects and may be a treatment option.
2018 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Acupuncture for Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Mansu SSY, Liang H, Parker S, Coyle ME, Wang K, Zhang AL, et al.
Systematic Review Acne
There was no statistical difference in the efficacy of acupuncture compared to pharmacotherapies for acne vulgaris; however acupuncture interventions reported less adverse effects. Poor methodological quality of trial design and lack of consistent reporting of outcome measures from some trials were found in this review; therefore results should be interpreted with caution. Future trials should include rigorous methodological design and reporting should follow standard reporting conventions such as CONSORT and STRICTA. Quality of life measures and further understanding of the mechanisms of acupuncture on acne should also be considered for future studies.
There is at least some level I evidence to support the use of acupuncture and acupressure as adjuncts to conventional treatment of atopic dermatitis.
2016 American Journal of Clinical Dermatology Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Atopic Dermatitis: An Evidence-Based Review Vieira BL, Lim NR, Lohman ME, Lio PA.
Systematic Review Eczema
There is at least some level I evidence to support the use of acupuncture and acupressure, stress-reducing techniques such as hypnosis, massage, and biofeedback, balneotherapy, herbal preparations (with many important caveats), certain botanical oils, oral evening primrose oil, vitamin D supplementation, and topical vitamin B12. Many other therapies either have sufficient data to suggest that they are ineffective, or simply do not have enough evidence to formulate a verdict.
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