Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society
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Observational Study
Acupuncture for pain control after Caesarean section: a prospective observational pilot study.
Options for pharmacological analgesia in patients who have undergone Caesarean section (CS) are often restricted. Acupuncture is a promising tool for treating postoperative pain. We aimed to study the feasibility and acceptability of acupuncture as an additional method of analgesia in CS patients in a prospective observational pilot investigation. ⋯ Acupuncture for additional analgesia after CS was well accepted. The primary outcome measurement was feasible and allowed the sample size to be calculated for a future randomised controlled trial.
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Besides neurons, activated microglia and astrocytes in the spinal cord dorsal horn (SCDH) contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic pain. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been used widely to treat various chronic pain diseases, however, the underlying mechanisms of EA are still not fully understood. ⋯ EA stimulation alleviates SNL-induced neuropathic pain, at least in part through inhibition of spinal glial activation. Moreover, inhibition of spinal microglia and astrocyte activation may contribute to the immediate effects and maintenance of EA analgesia, respectively.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
EA versus sham acupuncture and no acupuncture for the control of acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a pilot study.
To assess the feasibility of undertaking a high-quality randomised controlled study to determine whether EA gives better control of delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) than sham EA or standard antiemetic treatment alone. ⋯ It was feasible to undertake a randomised EA trial on a busy day oncology unit. As few patients experienced nausea with their first cycle of chemotherapy, it was not possible to determine whether EA improves CINV over standard care. An enriched enrolment strategy is indicated for future studies. A simple numerical rating scale may prove a better objective nausea measure than the FLIE.