Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine News

Oriental medicine is in the news as clinical trials and laboratory research are used in an attempt to analyze the effects of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Some research is more highly regarded than others, and there is always the question of how accurately it represents real clinical practice. But the information and perspectives can be useful, so we offer a few abstracts and full-page articles to keep you updated on some recent studies. Below are summaries and links to articles on osteoporosis, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and osteoarthritis.

Osteoporosis:

Honora Lee Wolfe translates and writes the abstract on an article reported in the Zhong Yi Za Zhi (Journal of Chinese Medicine) discussing "The Influence of Acupuncture on Postmenopausal Female Bone Density". For three months, 42 women were given a 30-minute acupuncture session every other day, employing acupuncture points Bl 23 (Shen Shu), Ren 4 (Guan Yuan), and Kd 3 (Tai Xi). They were given a 10-day rest period without treatment, then another 3-month course of treatment with the same points. The treatment and comparison groups were both given a supplement of calcium and vitamin D. According to the study, there was a significant difference in bone density change between the treatment and comparison groups.

Ischemic Heart Disease:

In an abstract journal from the UK, an interesting study on the Treatment of Ischemic Heart Disease with Huang Qi was reported. 50 grams of Huang Qi (Astragalus membranaceous) was decocted in water and administered 3 times a day for 20 days, to 92 patients. The comparison group was given Nifedipine (10mg each time, 3 times a day) and Tablet of Dan Shen (Salvia Miltiorrhiza). The group given Huang Qi showed marked relief of angina symptoms, an 82.6% change in electrocardiogram (EKG), and clear improvement of other objective heart function parameters. Stickiness of blood was lowered, lipid peroxidation (LPO) of blood was lowered, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) was elevated.

Osteoarthritis:

Read the full text article on the Acupuncture Treatment of Osteoarthritis that reports on a study analyzing the efficacy of acupuncture as a complementary therapy to the pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. Parameters measured were pain relief, reduction of stiffness, and increased physical function during treatment. The following acupuncture points were used in the study: GB34, Sp9, St36, EX-LES, and distal points Kd3, Sp6, LI4, and St40. In the trial, acupuncture was shown to be more effective than placebo.

Hypertension:

In a study conducted on hamsters, an active ingredient in Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), Tanshinone IIA, was analyzed in regard to its success in treating hypertension. The study has not yet been released in its full text, but the results showed Tanshione IIA to significantly reduce blood pressure. Science D provides a summary of the study entitled "Active Ingredient in Dan Shen (Salvia) Shown to Reduce Hypertension".