Insights & Discussion
Acupuncture used for weight loss may increase the effectiveness of oral iron supplementation to treat obesity-related iron deficiency.
The study was conducted on sixty iron deficient or iron deficient anemia patients who were also obese, in the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. They were divided into two groups: one group received an oral iron supplement combined with acupuncture treatment for weight loss (acupuncture group), and the other group received the oral iron supplement along with a placebo acupuncture treatment (control group). Over the course of eight weeks, anthropometric parameters were measured, and blood samples were tested before and after the treatment.
The acupuncture group showed a significant decrease in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and waist/hip circumference ratio, while the control group showed no significant changes. The oral iron supplement seemed to bring more noticeable improvements in the iron status indicators in the acupuncture group than in the control group. In addition, the serum leptin and hepcidin concentrations, which impact iron absorption, declined significantly in the acupuncture group and were relatively stagnant in the control group. These results suggest that acupuncture-based weight loss treatment could boost intestinal iron absorption, likely through downregulation of systemic leptin-hepcidin levels.
Discover Related Insights
Acupuncture and moxibustion therapies have shown effectiveness in treating ulcerative colitis according to the summarised-findings of various systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
2024 Heliyon Effects of acupuncture and moxibustion on ulcerative colitis: An overview of systematic reviews Wang D, Wang Q, Wang Y, Li T, Tian M
Systematic Review Acupuncture Moxibustion Ulcerative Colitis
Methodology: This evaluative study used an extensive and systematic methods to search data from seven different databases. The selected data were further refined by using different screening and evaluation frameworks like AMSTAR-2, PRISMA, ROBIS, and GRADE systems. These were used to determine the methodological quality, reporting quality, risk of bias, and the quality of evidence in the selected studies.
Discussion of results: After critical evaluation, the study found ten relevant reviews and analyses that showed potential for acupuncture and moxibustion therapies being effective in ulcerative colitis treatment. However, many the identified studies were reported to have several problems in their overall design and quality of outcomes. The researchers therefore stress caution when interpreting these results due to the lack of high-quality evidence in the existing studies.
Acupuncture and Moxibustion Show Promise for Chronic Renal Insufficiency
2023 Frontiers in Psychiatry Acupuncture and moxibustion in patients with cancer-related insomnia: A systematic review and network meta-analysis Ou Y, Lin D, Ni X, Li S, Wu K, Yuan L, et al.
Systematic Review Acupuncture Cancer-Related Insomnia Moxibustion
Acupuncture and moxibustion emerge as effective and safe interventions for chronic renal insufficiency, with Transcutaneous Electrical Acupuncture Stimulation showing the highest potential for efficacy.
Acupuncture, especially TEAS, is safer and more effective than medication for improving sleep quality in cancer related insomnia
2023 Frontiers in Psychiatry Acupuncture and moxibustion in patients with cancer-related insomnia: A systematic review and network meta-analysis Ou Y, Lin D, Ni X, Li S, Wu K, Yuan L, et al.
Systematic Review Acupuncture Cancer-Related Insomnia Moxibustion
Acupuncture methods like transcutaneous electrical acupuncture stimulation (TEAS) and acupuncture+moxibustion were better for sleep than medication. Acupuncture had fewer side effects than medication with positive impact on canner-related insomnia linked to factors like melatonin regulation. Amongst all treatment types, TEAS was probably the more effective.
Acupuncture may enhance the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for people suffering from insomnia and related conditions.
2023 Sleep Medicine Clinics Acupuncture as an Adjunct Treatment to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Kutana S, Mao JJ, Garland SN
Theoretical Article Acupuncture Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Insomnia
The research methodology used in this paper is mainly a theoretical analysis and discussion of the potential synergistic effects of combining cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and acupuncture. This involves analysis of the current evidence base for the efficacy of acupuncture in treating insomnia and related conditions, along with examination of the practical, logistical, and regulatory aspects of combining these two treatments.
In the discussion of their results, the researchers found that there is a growing body of evidence that supports the potential benefit of acupuncture in treating insomnia and its comorbidities, enhancing the current standard treatment approach of CBT-I. This appears to be an innovative approach that could potentially enhance the treatment effectiveness and outcomes for those struggling with insomnia, though it concurrently raises complex issues in terms of its practical and regulatory implementation.
Acupuncture, either alone or as an adjunct, improved the clinical efficacy and visual acuity of age-related macular degeneration patients, particularly those with dry AMD.
2023 PLOS One Effects of acupuncture on age-related macular degeneration: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Sun W, Zhao Y, Liao L, Wang X, Wei Q, Chao G, et al.
Meta-Analysis Acupuncture Age-Related Macular Degeneration
The study conducted a meta-analysis on nine out of 226 articles selected from various databases such as PubMed, Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, The Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, VIP, Wanfang, and SINOMED up until September 4, 2022. Two separate reviewers independently carried out the literature screening and data extraction and used RevMan 5.4 software for the meta-analysis.
In the discussion of the results, it was found that 508 AMD patients (representing a total of 631 eyes), including 360 dry eyes and 271 wet eyes, showed improvement in both clinical efficacy and best-corrected visual acuity after receiving acupuncture treatment. The treatment also led to a reduction in their central macular thickness. However, while the benefits of acupuncture were seen, the quality of evidence supporting these outcomes was judged as ranging from "low" to "very low".
Sign In
Users not signed in are limited to viewing the 5 most recent items of content.