Search This Blog

Friday, February 18, 2011

Lymph Node Dissection Not Necessary in Breast Cancer

This study came out a few weeks ago and I've been meaning to post about it just because it is of utmost interest to patients and health practitioners alike. The study finds that lymph node dissection does not improve outcomes in women with breast cancer. Lymph node dissection turns out to fall into the category of something that makes utmost sense from a logical, western medicine standpoint, but in fact does not improve outcomes. There is a tyranny of logic that states that if something makes sense, it need not be studied. But we have to remember that placebo is very powerful and we need to apply the standard of studies across all treatment modalities.

For more information about my acupuncture practice please click here.
Lymph Node Study Shakes Pillar of Breast Cancer Care
By DENISE GRADY

A new study finds that many women with early breast cancer do not need a painful procedure that has long been routine: removal of cancerous lymph nodes from the armpit.

The discovery turns standard medical practice on its head. Surgeons have been removing lymph nodes from under the arms of breast cancer patients for 100 years, believing it would prolong women’s lives by keeping the cancer from spreading or coming back...

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Acupuncture HRV results vary with point choice

I do have some problems with this study, even though it does address my two favorite topics, HRV(heart rate variability-a way to monitor stress response) and acupuncture. I strongly disagree with their opening statement that there is no evidence that acupuncture has effects on HRV. There have been studies too numerous to mention on this topic, and it begs the question of why they would study the issue if there was no evidence. I also wonder why they picked an acupuncture method that is not in current practice, i.e. a single "instantaneous" puncture. I would love to hear that single point, "instantaneous" puncture is just as effective as traditional "point combination," 20 minute sessions. That would be a boon to my practice and will await more studies with an open mind. All that said, I am buoyed by the thought that some points affect HRV more than others since that may give some keys to more effective acupuncture treatment.

To learn more about acupuncture, HRV, and my practice please click here.

Acupuncture to Danzhong but not to Zhongting increases the cardiac vagal component of heart rate variability.
Auton Neurosci. 2011 Jan 6.
Kurono Y, Minagawa M, Ishigami T, Yamada A, Kakamu T, Hayano J.

The Oriental Medical Center, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.

Abstract

There is currently no convincing evidence that acupuncture has any specific effects on autonomic nervous function as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV). We examined whether the stimulation of neighboring acupunctural points, Danzhong (CV17) and Zhongting (CV16) on the anterior median line of the thorax, induced different effects on HRV. In 14 healthy males, epifascial acupunctural stimulation (single instantaneous needle stimulation on the fascial surface without producing De-Qi sensation) was performed at CV17 and CV16 on different days in a clinical study utilizing a cross-over design. We found that the stimulation of CV17, but not of CV16, decreased the heart rate (P=0.01, repeated measures ANOVA) and increased the power of the high-frequency component of the HRV, an index of cardiac vagal activity (P=0.01). The low-frequency to high-frequency ratio, an index of sympathetic activity showed no significant changes for either point. Our observations could not be explained as either nonspecific or psychological/placebo effects of needle stimulation. This study provides strong evidence for the presence of a specific acupunctural point that causes the modulation of cardiac autonomic function.

Neuro pathways involved in acupuncture decreasing Blood Pressure

This is a nice study that looks at the pathways involved in acupuncture's effect on blood pressure. I have had good results in my clinic in patients with hypertension as long as they are willing to follow through with their visits! Once their blood pressure has come down, monthly visits suffice usually with herbal supplementation.

To learn more about acupuncture, HRV, and my practice please click here.

Neural mechanism of electroacupuncture's hypotensive effects
Auton Neurosci. 2010 Oct 28;157(1-2):24-30. Epub 2010 May 5.
Neural mechanism of electroacupuncture's hypotensive effects. Li P, Longhurst JC

Department of Medicine, Susan-Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA. pengli@uci.eduAbstract

EA at P 5-6 and S 36-37 using low current and low frequency may be able to reduce elevated blood pressure in a subset of patients (∼70%) with mild to moderate hypertension. The effect is slow in onset but is long-lasting. Experimental studies have shown that EA inhibition of cardiovascular sympathetic neurons that have been activated through visceral reflex stimulation is through activation of neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, vlPAG in the midbrain and NRP in the medulla, which, in turn, inhibit the activity of premotor sympathetic neurons in the rVLM. The arcuate also provides direct projections to the rVLM that contain endorphins. Glutamate, acetylcholine, opioids, GABA, nociceptin, serotonin and endocannabinoids all appear to participate in the EA hypotensive response although their importance varies between nuclei. Thus, a number of mechanisms underlying the long-lasting effect of EA on cardiovascular function have been identified but clearly further investigation is warranted.