Acupuncture for Treatment of Noncyclic Breast Pain: A Pilot Study

Thicke, Lori A.; Hazelton, Jennifer; Bauer, Brent A.; Chan, Carl W.; Huntoon, Elizabeth; Novotny, Paul J.; Sloan, Jeff A.; Wahner‐Roedler, Dietlind L.

doi:10.1142/s0192415x11009445

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Inserting needles into the specific acupoints on the meridian lines can restore the balance of the body. Many studies have confirmed the effect of acupuncture on pain (Kaptchuk, 2002;Thicke et al, 2011). However, most of these findings cannot be replicated due to insufficient sample sizes or limitations in the methodology, and the utility of acupuncture in modern medicine remains controversial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain in Long-Term Follow-Up: A Meta-Analysis of 13 Randomized Controlled Trials

Shi

Yin³

et al. 2013

Am. J. Chin. Med.

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Chronic low back pain is one of the most common reasons that people seek medical treatment, and the consequent disability creates a great financial burden on individuals and society. The etiology of chronic low back pain is not clear, which means it is often refractory to treatment. Acupuncture has been reported to be effective in providing symptomatic relief of chronic low back pain. However, it is not known whether the effects of acupuncture are due to the needling itself or nonspecific effects arising from the manipulation. To determine the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy, a meta-analysis was performed to compare acupuncture with sham acupuncture and other treatments. Overall, 2678 patients were identified from thirteen randomized controlled trials. The meta-analysis was performed by a random model (Cohen's test), using the I-square test for heterogeneity and Begg's test to assess for publication bias. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by pain intensity, disability, spinal flexion, and quality of life. Compared with no treatment, acupuncture achieved better outcomes in terms of pain relief, disability recovery and better quality of life, but these effects were not observed when compared to sham acupuncture. Acupuncture achieved better outcomes when compared with other treatments. No publication bias was detected. Acupuncture is an effective treatment for chronic low back pain, but this effect is likely to be produced by the nonspecific effects of manipulation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain in Long-Term Follow-Up: A Meta-Analysis of 13 Randomized Controlled Trials

Shi

Yin³

et al. 2013

Am. J. Chin. Med.

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“…Acupuncture is one of the most promising supplementary medical treatments in pain management because it is known to be effective in certain painful conditions, it is easy to apply, the cost is low and side effects are minimum (Thicke et al, 2011;Chang et al, 2012). In the clinic, acupuncture is an established adjuvant analgesic modality for the treatment of chronic pain (Kumnerddee and Pattapong, 2012;Lin and Chen, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electroacupuncture and Lumbar Transplant of GDNF-Secreting Fibroblasts Synergistically Attenuate Hyperalgesia after Sciatic Nerve Constriction

Dong

Sun

et al. 2013

Am. J. Chin. Med.

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Electroacupuncture (EA) has been shown to induce potent analgesic effects on neuropathic pain in both patients and rodents. Cell therapy to release antinociceptive agents near the pain processing centers of the spinal cord is a promising next step in the development of treatment modalities. This study investigated the effects of the combination of EA and cell therapy by glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) on neuropathic pain in rats. The hyperalgesic state was induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve and fibroblasts genetically modified to secrete bioactive GDNF (FBs-GDNF) were used for cell therapy. Fifty-eight rats with neuropathic pain were randomly divided into five groups (CCI+PBS, n = 11; CCI+FBs-GDNF, n = 12; CCI+EA+PBS, n = 11; CCI+EA+FBs-pLNCX2, n = 12; CCI+EA+FBs-GDNF, n = 12). On the 7th day after CCI, the rats received intrathecal transplantation of FBs-GDNF or control fibroblasts (FBs-pLNCX2). In the meantime, EA was administered once every other day from the 7th day after CCI surgery for 21 days. The paw withdrawal latency (PWL) to radiant heat was measured every other day. The results showed that the ipsilateral PWL of the rats from all three EA treatment groups significantly increased starting on the 12th day compared with the PBS control group. Strikingly, the group which received EA treatment and FBs-GDNF transplantation (CCI+EA+FBs-GDNF) showed a significantly decreased thermal hyperalgesia after 2 weeks post CCI surgery compared with the groups which received EA treatment and FBs-pLNCX2 transplantation (CCI+EA+FBs-pLNCX2) or PBS (CCI+EA+PBS) as well as the FBs-GDNF transplantation group without EA treatment (CCI+FBs-GDNF). Our data suggest that EA and cell therapy can synergistically attenuate hyperalgesia in neuropathic pain rats.

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“…Over-the-counter medications that may provide relief for cyclic breast pain include vitamin E or B 6 , products containing oil of Vitex agnus castus (chaste tree or chasteberry), and fl axseed. 11,12 Acupuncture has been evaluated in patients with noncyclic breast pain and was found to reduce pain by 56% to 67% in one study, 13 although it did not affect quality of life.…”

Section: Treating Breast Painmentioning

confidence: 99%