An acupuncturist evaluates each person's case of neuropathy differently weighing the health history of the patient; the location of the problem; the drugs or environmental chemical exposure and, from this, weaves together a treatment plan that most effectively restores nerve function. Neuropathies tend to respond incredibly well to acupuncture and, occasionally additional herbal intervention, depending on the cause of the nerve issue. 

Research and Articles

In 2011 the University of Arizona examined acupuncture for HIV-related neuropathies, as well as mortality from that disease and found that:

The University Medical Center in Hamburg, Germany examining acupuncture for chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) found that,

The data suggest that acupuncture has a positive effect on CIPN. 

A Chinese study entitled, Fifteen-Day Acupuncture Treatment Relieves Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, evaluated the use of acupuncture in a diabetic population suffering from both sensory and motor nerve damage. It found,

... evidence that acupuncture may be clinically useful for the radical treatment of diabetic neurapathy.

The study

 ... compared 42 cases treated with acupuncture with 21 cases exposed

to sham acupuncture and observed the effects on nerve conduction velocity and a

variety of subjective symptoms associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Three of the six measures of motor nerves, and two measures of sensory function, 

demonstrated significant improvement (p < 0.05) over the 15-day treatment period 

in the acupuncture group, while no motor or sensory function significantly

improved in the sham acupuncture group. There were also significant differences

in vibration perception threshold between the groups (p < 0.05) and when compared

to the baseline levels (p < 0.01) in the acupuncture group. Acupuncture was

significantly more effective than sham for treatment of numbness of the lower

extremities, spontaneous pain in the lower extremities, rigidity in the upper

extremities and alterations in temperature perception in the lower extremities

after therapy.

PF can trigger many other problems including heel spurs caused by the chronic inflammation in the region causing the calcification, as well as knee and back pain caused by gait changes associated with the pain from the feet. When our patients have been suffering for a long time with plantar fasciitis we will often work on these linked issues at the same time as the problem in the plantar fascia, which is at it's source.

Acupuncture is incredibly useful in remedying this problem and can be used alone or in conjunction with other modalities such as stretching, custom orthotics and physical therapy. It tends to perform much better, long term, and with fewer side effects than steroid injections.

Research/Articles

A Greek study entitled, Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis in Recreational Athletes: Two Different Therapeutic Protocols, (which can be read about here) found that:

Acupuncture should be considered as a major therapeutic instrument for the decrease of heel pain in plantar fasciitis (PF) . . . Scores for pain and mobility/function were significantly smaller [indicating improvement] in the acupuncture group after two months of treatment.

One treatment protocol for plantar fasciitis involves treating the unaffected side. We tend to use this technique when the affected side is so painful that the patient can not bear to be touched in that region. While on the surface this may appear counterintuitive, it is supported by thousands of years of clinical experience. A recent Japanese study demonstrates how this may work from a Western perspective and can be read about here:

Blood supply to the Achilles tendon can be increased by treating the contralateral [opposite side] tendon with either acupuncture or a heat pack. Japanese scientists used lasers to measure blood volume (THb) and oxygen saturation (StO2) of treated and non-treated tendons during treatment (10 minutes for acupuncture, 20 minutes for heat) and recovery periods (40 minutes). During both treatments, THb and StO2 of the treated tendon increased significantly from the resting level. The increased THb and StO2 of the treated tendon were maintained until the end of the recovery period after removal of the acupuncture needle, but they decreased after removal of the hot pack. Although THb of the non-treated tendon did not change during either acupuncture or heat treatment, it increased gradually after removal of the acupuncture needle or hot pack. The authors suggest that blood circulation to an injured tendon in a plaster cast could be improved by applying acupuncture or heat treatments to the contralateral healthy limb.

A British study, from the Orthopedics Department of a Bedford hospital [read it here], on the effects of acupuncture for non-responsive plantar fasciitis concluded that,

Our study demonstrates that acupuncture is effective in treating patients with chronic heel pain due to plantar fasciitis and that the addition of trigger point acupuncture in poor or non-responders may be useful.  

The process of treating this disorder is highly individualized, as is most of what we do in the field of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. The patient is evaluated based, not only on the hair loss pattern, but also on other health history issues and a tailored treatment plan using acupuncture and herbology is created.

Research/Articles

From the Journal of Chinese Medicine, published in Britain comes a well written summary of generally accepted protocol for treating various patterns of alopecia. It can be read here.

From the Journal of Acupuncture Science comes a study comparing a commonly prescribed pharmacetical for alopecia with acupuncture. The article, which can be read here, found that, 

Acupuncture is better than medications in the treatment of alopecia areata.

Cruelly, the visual signs of shingles may vanish after several weeks, but leaving searing nerve pain where it had been yet with little or no outward signs. This pain is termed, post-herpetic neuralgia.

While we often treat acute shingles at the Northside Holistic Center with good effect, it is even more common that people are directed to us by their physician or a peer who has been treated at the clinic for post-herpetic neuralgia. This is because living with the neuralgia is often almost intolerable and acupuncture and Chinese medicine are so effective at alleviating the problem.

 Articles and Research

An Italian study, which can read about here, found that,

...acupuncture is as effective as standard drug treatment for acute pain in patients with herpes zoster (HZ).

 A Yale School of Medicine case report, abstract viewable here, found that with a patient whose post herpetic neuralgia was unresponsive to a variety of Western medical treatments responded well to acupuncture, 

A comprehensive pain treatment regimen, consisting of a stellate ganglia block, medications, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and hypnosis, was administered, but the patient did not gain any incremental pain relief.
The acupuncture service was consulted . . . after acupuncture treatment over a 2-month period, the patient's nausea disappeared. Her left facial pain continued to decline from a maximum of 10 to 0 . . .

[their] conclusions, "Acupuncture and its related techniques may be an effective adjunctive treatment for symptoms associated with post herpetic neuralgia and deserve further study."

...studies conducted by the Taiwanese institution have shown that tianma can be effective in curbing the effects of diseases ranging from dementia to spino-cerebellar atrophy, Huntington’s Disease and other ailments of the cerebral and nervous system. Research has shown that tianma can slow or reduce the effects of these diseases but so far it has not been established whether it can actually cure the diseases themselves.

http://zorgenvoormijnmoeder.blogspot.com

While it is true that we treat dementia with some moderate success and that Tian Ma may be one of the herbs that would be included in a formula and acupuncture protocol for this type of complaint, it would never be true that we would use one ingredient alone for such a purpose. Still, it for the purpose of research, it is useful to have yet another ingredient in our toolbox validated by Western methods.

Another interesting reductionist, yet interesting, study is one published by Japanese researchers and viewable here, looks at the effect of one acupuncture point that we might choose to treat cognitive issues. Again, this point would not be used on it's own, but only in the larger context of a treatment protocol. The study suggests that acupuncture enhances blood flow to the brain without altering the overal blood pressure in the region, a highly desirable goal.

Scientists measured the effects of acupuncture at [acupoint] DU-20 on blood flow velocities in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and anterior cerebral artery (ACA), in 10 healthy male subjects. Mean MCA and ACA blood flow velocities at rest increased significantly after DU-20 acupuncture treatment, whereas mean arterial blood pressure and pulse rate at rest did not change significantly.

Another study which looked at the herbal aspect of what acupuncturists do for people with dementia, looks at one of the many formula which we may use for patients who come to us for Alzheimer's disease. This study, published in Neuroscience Letters (and readable here) found that,

Treatment with the Chinese herbal formula Fuzhisan (FZS) may have a positive effect on cognition, behavioral functions, and cerebral glucose metabolism in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease 

Twenty-two subjects were randomly assigned to receive FZS or placebo for 12 weeks. Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to study the regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose consumption (rCMRglc) at baseline and week 12. Compared with placebo, FZS significantly improved cognitive and behavioural scores at week 12. In addition, FZS treatment favorably improved rCMRglc in the bilateral temporal and parietal cortices, hippocampus and posterior cingulate gyrus.

• A study, recently published by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center demonstrated what many of our patients have already learned:

Acupuncture significantly reduces lymphoedema related arm swelling in women after breast cancer surgery.

Researchers found that,

existing conventional treatments for lymphoedema are only “marginally beneficial, rarely reducing arm swelling in any meaningful way.” The new study concludes that acupuncture is safe and that some of the women in the study showed a 30 percent or better reduction of lymphoedema related arm swelling.

 An article about the study can be read here. 

• A small study, published in the Journal of Acupuncture Medicine, found that, 

A small US pilot study has found that acupuncture may help reduce lymphoedema associated with breast cancer surgery. Nine women with chronic lymphoedema following breast cancer surgery received acupuncture twice a week for four weeks. Four women showed at least a 30% reduction in the extent of lymphoedema at four weeks when compared with their respective baseline values.

A synopsis of this article can be read here.

Like most conditions that we treat, irritable bowel syndrome is differentiated according to how it presents in the individual patient and the rest of the person's constitution. As such, each individual will receive a tailored treatment approach.

 Research and Articles 

• Columbia University published a study which looked at the treatment of IBS with acupuncture, viewable here, which demonstrated that:

After 4 weeks of twice-weekly acupuncture/moxa treatment, average daily abdominal pain/discomfort improved whereas the control group showed minimal reduction. This between-group difference adjusted for baseline difference was statistically significant. The intestinal gas, bloating, and stool consistency composite score showed a similar pattern of improvement. The findings indicate that Acu/Moxa treatment shows promise in the area of symptom management for IBS.

• A Chinese medical study, which can be read here, compared a western medical treatment with acupuncture for IBS and found that:

Acupuncture at [the acupuncture points] Tianshu (ST 25) and Dachangshu (BL 25) may remarkably relieve the clinical symptoms of IBS and its efficacy is superior to that of oral medication with trimebutine maleate.

• A research report from the Hong Kong Department of Digestive Health found that:

Electro acupuncture attenuates visceral hyperlagesia through down-regulation of central serotonergic activities in the brain-gut axis.

 From a practical perspective, this means that electro-acupuncture reduces the urgency of IBS in patients.

• The Nanjing Medical School published a study which evaluated the use of acupuncture in managing the chronic constipation which can be associated with one type of constipation. In the conclusion of the study the researchers found that:

The scores of defecation frequency, difficulty degree of defecation, defecation time, endless sensation of defecation, stool quality, awareness of defecation and PAC-QOL were obviously improved after treatment . . . The effect of acupuncture for CFC with exact etiology, disease location and classification diagnosis is definite, but different dynamic mechanism has different effect. 

• One of the most famous studies of traditional Chinese herbs for IBS was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and can be read here. The study found that:

Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the active treatment groups had significant improvement in bowel symptom scores as rated by patients (P = .03) and by gastroenterologists (P = .001), and significant global improvement as rated by patients (P = .007) and by gastroenterologists (P = .002). Patients reported that treatment significantly reduced the degree of interference with life caused by IBS symptoms (P = .03). Chinese herbal formulations individually tailored to the patient proved no more effective than standard CHM treatment. On follow-up 14 weeks after completion of treatment, only the individualized CHM treatment group maintained improvement. Conclusion: Chinese herbal formulations appear to offer improvement.

Chronic prostatitis may manifest with symptoms such as pelvic and/or perineal pain which last longer than three months. These symptoms may wax and wane and the pain may range from mildly annoying to debilitating. Pain may radiate to the lower back and rectum, making sitting difficult. Dysuria, arthralgia, myalgia, unexplained fatigue, abdominal pain, constant burning pain in the penis, and frequency may also be present. Frequent urination and increased urgency may suggest interstitial cystitis. Equally disturbing, there may be post-ejaculatory pain.

A UK study found that patients with schizophrenia benefited from twice weekly acupuncture treatments, in addition to their mainstream care. The study, which can be read about here, found that,

Acupuncture caused a decrease in the, “side effects of antipsychotic medication; decreased auditory, visual and tactile hallucinations; decreased anxiety and paranoia; improved sleep patterns… increased motivation including increased sex drive and ambition to further themselves in education and work; improved socialization and concentration… reduced addictive behavior in relation to alcohol and cigarettes; improved diet and weight loss; and improved exercise regimes.

A recent article, which can be read here describes the use of acupuncture and TCM to treat a variety of automimmune disorders. The autoimmune category is so vast that it is difficult to even approximate a meaningful overview of them except to say that we treat a lot of these problems and that quite a large number of them respond well to our interventions.

The article, in part, reads,

Autoimmune diseases are a group of disorders in which the immune system attacks the body and destroys or alters tissues. There are more than eighty serious chronic illnesses in this category including rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, lupus, thyroid disease, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison's disease, pernicious anemia, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis and Guillain–Barré syndrome. According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) twenty percent of the population suffers from autoimmune disorders. Each disease appears uncommon on an individual basis but, as a group, the disorders make up the fourth-largest cause of disability among women.

Due to the complexity of treating autoimmune disorders, integrative medicine solutions including acupuncture and Oriental medicine have received much attention as successful therapies in their treatment particularly for use in providing pain relief, regulating the immune system, managing symptoms and improving overall quality of life.

Autoimmune diseases are a group of disorders in which the immune system attacks the body and destroys or alters tissues. There are more than eighty serious chronic illnesses in this category including rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, lupus, thyroid disease, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison's disease, pernicious anemia, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis and Guillain–Barré syndrome. According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) twenty percent of the population suffers from autoimmune disorders. Each disease appears uncommon on an individual basis but, as a group, the disorders make up the fourth-largest cause of disability among women.Due to the complexity of treating autoimmune disorders, integrative medicine solutions including acupuncture and Oriental medicine have received much attention as successful therapies in their treatment particularly for use in providing pain relief, regulating the immune system, managing symptoms and improving overall quality of life.

The article concludes,

Clinical research has shown that acupuncture causes physical responses in nerve cells, the pituitary gland, and parts of the brain. These responses can cause the body to release proteins, hormones, and brain chemicals that control a number of body functions. It is proposed that, by these actions, acupuncture affects blood pressure, body temperature and the immune system. 

A recent Chinese study on rheumatoid arthritis and acupuncture in Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine found that, 

. . . acupuncture can lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood and synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. 

The research, which can be read about here, describes the experiment:

Sixty-three RA patients were assigned to receive either EA or manual acupuncture (‘simple’ needling - SN). Points were selected mainly from yang meridians and local ashi points. EA or SN was applied every other day for a course of 10 treatments and each patient received a total of three courses of treatment. Blood and synovial fluid levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were reduced significantly after treatment in both groups. The lowering of VEGF after treatment was more significant in the EA group than that in the SN group. (Effect of electro-acupuncture on tumor necrosis factor-α and vascular endothelial growth factor in peripheral blood and joint synovia of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

More can be read on my site here (PKD), here (Crohn's), here (MS), and here (psoriasis). The number of autoimmune issues which I treat is quite a bit more vast than what has yet been written about on this site, but I will get to each of them as the site grows.