This study compares the clinical effectiveness of somatic and ear acupuncture for treatment of migraine without aura. 35 patients were divided into 2 groups, one receiving somatic and the other ear acupuncture. Both groups were treated once a week for 8 weeks and needles were stimulated manually. The severity of pain was evaluated with the Migraine Index and the visual analogue of Scott-Huskisson; other 2 tests were used to monitor the pain threshold and Zung's Self-rating Depression Scale was applied to assess variations in patients' mood. These tests were performed before the beginning and at the end of treatment and, for the follow up, after 1, 3 and 6 months from the end of therapy. On the basis of the migraine index, pain at the end of therapy was significantly lower than before the treatment, being residual pain 54.83% and 63.43%, respectively for somatic and ear acupuncture. Apparently, the 2 treatments were equally effective, as no significant difference could be assessed. On the contrary, a significant difference between the 2 groups was clear during the follow up: in fact, after 6 months residual pain was 16.80% and 48.83% for somatic and ear acupuncture, respectively (p=0.038). These results were confirmed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) test and by the evaluation of pain threshold. It is noteworthy that also Zung's depression test showed a significant decrease of score was present in both groups, at all the times investigated with no difference between the two treatments. These results, though preliminary, are quite promising in supporting the effectiveness of ear acupuncture for treatment of migraine without aura.

Dry Eye Syndrome (DES) is an eye disorder caused by alteration of production or composition of tear film. Symptoms include dry eye dryness, burning, itching and pain, and often is associated with emotional stress, anxiety and depression. Evidence of the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat DES has recently appeared in literature but not on acupuncture treatment of DES related anxiety or depression symptoms.A 53-year-old male, good health, no serious medical conditions, with history of contact lenses wearing, anxious personality traits and anxiety symptoms, suffering from DES, was treated with acupuncture, twice a week for three weeks with somatic and ear acupoints selected from literature.Inferior marginal lacrimal meniscus, lipid layer interferometry, tear ferning test, psychiatric examination, State-Trait Inventory -Y (STAI-Y) questionnaire and Hamilton-Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) scale was evaluated before and after treatment and at 15 , 30 , 60, and 90 days follow-up.Results show clear and lasting improvements with remission of eye symptoms, together with clear and stable improvements of anxiety symptoms.Acupuncture is an effective treatment also for DES related anxiety symptoms.

Active Points Test on auricle was renamed Needle Contact Test (or NCT), considered an extremely effective method to select most efficient auricle acupoint for Auricular Acupuncture (or AA) therapy. Our aims were to evaluate NCT efficiency as viable diagnostic option to identify the most appropriate AA acupoints to be selected for SupraSpinatus Tendinopathy (SST) associated shoulder pain treatment and to evaluate which auricle area has greater concentration of NCT positive acupoints in subjects with SST shoulder pain, comparing results with available AA ear maps. 45 subjects with SST diagnosis were enrolled. On 30 subjects in treatment group, NCT was performed on acupoints of the auricle shoulder representation areas (i.e., Scaphoid Fossa), while in 15 subjects of control group, NCT was performed on auricle areas not shoulder associated. Statistically significant lower Numeric Pain Rating Scale scores were seen for study group over time and compared to control. A small sample showed statistically significant increase of SST shoulder maximum abduction range of Movements. NCT identified best SST shoulder pain AA acupoints in Scaphoid Fossa (or SF1 and SF2). In conclusion NCT is a viable tool to efficiently identify the best AA acupoints in SST shoulder pain treatment.

Introduction: The medial surface of the auricle (MSotA), as compared to the lateral, has been less studied and has limited consensus among schools of auricular acupuncture (AA) due to its small size, greater difficulty in carrying out an adequate physical examination on it, and less precise and limited agreement on its anatomical references as compared to the lateral surface. The thumb-index technique TIT is performed using a guiding finger (taking advantage of the anatomical conformation of the lateral surface) to guide the explorer finger (placed on the MSotA) to project the therapeutic areas and land marks on the MSotA. TIT could be considered useful and effective in AA to make the most of diagnostic and therapeutic MSotA potential. Methods: An investigation was carried out on the impact of TIT in AA practice through a survey collected from former AA students. Results: TIT showed a high consensus, and is used and appreciated by AA practitioners. Discussion/ Conclusions: To date, in AA, there is no thoroughly shared nomenclature for MSotA. TIT is simple and quick to project on to MSotA the well-coded lateral surface auricular maps from French or Chinese AA schools.

Background: The regulation of microcirculation depends on the dynamic interaction of different factors: the autonomic nervous system plays a pivotal role in the blood flow and acupuncture can modulate it, obtaining different results depending on the site, the frequency, and the intensity of the stimulation. Methods: 18 healthy subjects have been enrolled and have undergone two sessions of electroacupuncture stimulations: one session using high frequency and one with low frequency. Microcirculation has been monitored continuously during stimulation using the laser Doppler method. Results: The microcirculatory parameters have shown a significant difference between high and low-frequency stimulation, suggesting that low-frequency stimulation is more effective for obtaining a vasodilator effect. Discussion: Our results show that low-frequency stimulation can increase the cutaneous microcirculatory flux, without significantly modifying blood pressure and heart rate. The auricular stimulation causes an increase in the activity of the vagus nerve, increasing the cholinergic activity without acting on post-junctional muscarinic receptors. Conclusion: Auricular acupuncture has a significant impact on the regulation of microcirculation.