BACKGROUND Acu-point specificity is a key issue in acupuncture. To date there has not been any satisfactory trial which can ratify the specific effect of acupuncture. This trial will evaluate the specific effect of BL33 for mild and moderate benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) on the basis of its effectiveness. The non-specific effect will be excluded and the therapeutic effect will be evaluated...

Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain. It has been suggested that some acupoints have a specific effect on heel pain. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and specificity of acupuncture treatment for plantar fasciitis. Subjects were randomly assigned to the treatment group (n = 28) or control group (n = 25). The treatment group received needling at the acupoint PC 7, w...

Although it is difficult in fully clarifying its mechanisms and effects, Deqi still can be considered as an instant "sign" of acupuncture response of the patient and acupuncturist, which has a significant value in clinic and research. This paper aims to take a history trace to the development of Deqi theory, understand the connotation of Deqi based on Chinese medicine theory, and establish an e...

background: lateral epicondylitis, also known as tennis elbow, is the most common overuse syndrome of the elbow. the severity of pain may not be directly caused by tendinopathy of wrist extensors since trigger points of the shoulder muscles have a referral zone in the arm and elbow. therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dry needling of shoulder myofascial trigger points ...

Background: This study examined the effects of dry needling on chronic heel pain due to plantar fasciitis.   Methods: During this single-blinded clinical trial, 20 eligible patients were randomized into two groups: A case group treated with dry needling and a control group. Patients’ plantar pain severity, (using modified visual analog scale [VAS] scoring system), range of motion ...

background: this study examined the effects of dry needling on chronic heel pain due to plantar fasciitis.   methods: during this single-blinded clinical trial, 20 eligible patients were randomized into two groups: a case group treated with dry needling and a control group. patients' plantar pain severity, (using modified visual analog scale [vas] scoring system), range of motion of ankle joint...

Editor – All those who employ acupuncture for the relief of pain suffered by patients with fibromyalgia must I am sure be very grateful to Thomas Lundeberg & Irene Lund for their recently published, thought provoking paper: Are reviews based on sham acupuncture procedures in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS ) valid? For it has been very clear to many of us for some time now that, because of marked ce...

Stimulation of acupuncture point Pc6, located above the median nerve, has been shown to be effective in treating nausea and vomiting. It has also frequently been reported to cause a heart rate reduction. The mechanism behind this autonomic reaction has not been clarified, so far. We combined brainstem-sensitive functional magnetic resonance imaging with heart rate recording and time-resolved ra...

OBJECTIVES To compare the neuroanatomical characteristics of the deep and superficial tissues at acupuncture point LI11 using a neural tracing technique, in order to examine the neural basis of potential differences between deep and superficial needling techniques. METHODS In order to mimic the situations of the deep and superficial needling, the retrograde neural tracer Alexa Fluor 488 conju...