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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.
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.
Acupuncture appears to be an effective and safe method to alleviate persistent myofascial head and neck pain.
2020 Complementary Therapies in Medicine The effectiveness of acupuncture in the management of persistent regional myofascial head and neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis Farag AM, Malacarne A, Pagni SE, Maloney GE.
Systematic Review Neck Pain Neck, Shoulder, Arm & Wrist Pain
To investigate the impact of acupuncture on persistent myofascial head and neck pain, only randomized controlled clinical trials were considered. These studies were hunted in a variety of databases, including PubMed, Ovid Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library, in addition to a manual search. The main metric used for outcome measurement was the comparison of the mean pain intensity score on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) between the acupuncture and sham-needling/no intervention groups. Additionally, safety data and adherence rate were looked into.
The key findings from the gathered randomized controlled clinical trials showed a decrease in the Visual Analogue Scale pain intensity scores in the acupuncture group when compared with the sham-needling/no intervention group. Only four trials were included in the concluding meta-analysis, which showed a substantial difference in pain intensity between the acupuncture and sham-needling/no intervention groups. Overall, the results demonstrated promising safety levels, evidenced by low side effects/withdrawal rates. However, the studies were inconsistent in the way they reported outcomes.
Moving cupping therapy, alone or coupled with other treatments, could effectively alleviate symptoms of plaque psoriasis with minimal side effects.
2020 Medicine Moving cupping therapy for plaque psoriasis Xing M, Ding X, Zhang J, Kuai L, Ru Y, Sun X, et al.
Systematic Review Psoriasis
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.
Compared with other therapies, acupuncture at ST38 appeared to reach a better therapeutic effectiveness in improving the recovery of shoulder joint mobility.
2018 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Acupuncture at Tiaokou (ST38) for Shoulder Adhesive Capsulitis: What Strengths Does It Have? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Yang C, Lv TT, Yu TY, Wong S, Lu MQ, Li YZ
Systematic Review Neck, Shoulder, Arm & Wrist Pain
The results of our meta-analysis revealed significant differences in acupuncture at Tiaokou (as sole treatment or in combination with shoulder acupoints) versus other therapies (acupuncture at shoulder acupoints, tuina, exercise of the affected shoulder, and oral NSAIDs) for the relief of shoulder pain. What is more, compared with other therapies, acupuncture at Tiaokou appeared to reach a better therapeutic effectiveness in improving the recovery of shoulder joint mobility.
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