Research Insights
Insights are moderated by the Research Hub team and offer an at-a-glance overview of interesting research findings.
Acupuncture may be an effective supplementary treatment option for patients with olfactory loss.
Randomised Controlled Trial
Sixty patients with smell loss following infections of the upper respiratory tract were included in this investigation Half of the study group were randomly assigned to verum acupuncture and the other half to sham acupuncture Olfaction was measured by means of the “Sniffin’ Sticks” test battery (odour threshold, discrimination and identification).
Compared to sham acupuncture, verum was associated with an improvement of smell function as measured by the TDI score. The improvement was largely determined by improvement in odour discrimination, and was significantly better in patients with a shorter duration of the disorder.
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Traditional Chinese acupuncture can potentially improve olfactory function in patients suffering from postviral olfactory dysfunction who don't respond well to standardized treatments.
Randomised Controlled Trial
The study utilised a sample of 50 patients with postviral olfactory dysfunction, who found little to no relief with standardized treatments. These participants were split into two equal groups: one group was subjected to traditional Chinese acupuncture, while the other group served as an observation or control group, who received no new intervention. The researchers then applied subjective olfactory tests using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test to measure the impact of acupuncture treatment on the participants' sense of smell.
The results indicated that 11 out of 25 patients who had undergone acupuncture therapy showed improved olfactory function compared to only four from the observation group. It was observed that there wasn't a significant difference in recovery rates based on factors such as age, gender, or duration of disease between both groups. However, findings indicated that patients whose sense of smell was weak (hyposmic) responded to acupuncture therapy better than those who had completely lost it (anosmic).
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Review Articles
Review articles summarise and critically evaluate the current state of research on a specific topic or field by synthesising multiple primary research studies.
Study Protocols
Published study protocols are detailed plans that outline the objectives, methodology, statistical analyses, and organisation of a research study that have been made publicly available for others to review and use as a reference.
Presentation Slides
Chinese Medicine Research Hub
Randomised Controlled Trial
Acupuncture may be an effective supplementary treatment option for patients with olfactory loss.
2021 European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Acupuncture is associated with a positive effect on odour discrimination in patients with postinfectious smell loss—a controlled prospective study
Drews T, Hummel T, Rochlitzer B, Hauswald B, Hähner A
Chinese Medicine Research Hub
Randomised Controlled Trial
Traditional Chinese acupuncture can potentially improve olfactory function in patients suffering from postviral olfactory dysfunction who don't respond well to standardized treatments.
2016 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Recovery of Olfactory Function in Postviral Olfactory Dysfunction Patients after Acupuncture Treatment
Qi Dai, Zhihui Pang, Hongmeng Yu
Executive Summary
Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Research into Chinese medicine treatment for Anosmia" summarising the research below and using language that can be easily understood by patients and avoiding medical jargon using a professional and caring tone of voice.
Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Researched Chinese medicine treatments for Anosmia" summarising the research below in an objective and easy to understand way, and using language that can be easily understood by patients. Group the article into Chinese medicine treatments first, followed by nutrition and other treatments. Avoid using medical jargon and use a professional and caring tone of voice.
Write me a concise but easy to understand executive summary on the topic of "Chinese medicine treatments for Anosmia" based on the following research that I will give you. Your summary should be 2 paragraphs long in Australian English spelling and include references to the studies.
A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2021 in the journal European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology found that Acupuncture may be an effective supplementary treatment option for patients with olfactory loss. Sixty patients with smell loss following infections of the upper respiratory tract were included in this investigation Half of the study group were randomly assigned to verum acupuncture and the other half to sham acupuncture Olfaction was measured by means of the “Sniffin’ Sticks” test battery (odour threshold, discrimination and identification).
Compared to sham acupuncture, verum was associated with an improvement of smell function as measured by the TDI score. The improvement was largely determined by improvement in odour discrimination, and was significantly better in patients with a shorter duration of the disorder.
A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2016 in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that Traditional Chinese acupuncture can potentially improve olfactory function in patients suffering from postviral olfactory dysfunction who don't respond well to standardized treatments. The study utilised a sample of 50 patients with postviral olfactory dysfunction, who found little to no relief with standardized treatments. These participants were split into two equal groups: one group was subjected to traditional Chinese acupuncture, while the other group served as an observation or control group, who received no new intervention. The researchers then applied subjective olfactory tests using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test to measure the impact of acupuncture treatment on the participants' sense of smell.
The results indicated that 11 out of 25 patients who had undergone acupuncture therapy showed improved olfactory function compared to only four from the observation group. It was observed that there wasn't a significant difference in recovery rates based on factors such as age, gender, or duration of disease between both groups. However, findings indicated that patients whose sense of smell was weak (hyposmic) responded to acupuncture therapy better than those who had completely lost it (anosmic).