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Electroacupuncture

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Electroacupuncture
MeSHD015671

Electroacupuncture is a form of acupuncture where a small electric current is passed between pairs of acupuncture needles. According to some acupuncturists,[who?] this practice augments the use of regular acupuncture, can restore health and well-being, and is particularly good for treating pain. [citation needed] There is evidence for some efficacy (when used in addition to antiemetics) in treating moderate post-chemotherapy vomiting, but not for acute vomiting or delayed nausea severity. [citation needed]

Use by acupuncturists

According to Acupuncture Today, a trade journal for acupuncturists:

"Electroacupuncture is quite similar to traditional acupuncture in that the same points are stimulated during treatment[citation needed]. As with traditional acupuncture, needles are inserted on specific points along the body. The needles are then attached to a device that generates continuous electric pulses using small clips. These devices are used to adjust the frequency and intensity of the impulse being delivered, depending on the condition being treated. Electroacupuncture uses two needles at time so that the impulses can pass from one needle to the other. Several pairs of needles can be stimulated simultaneously, usually for no more than 30 minutes at a time."[1]

That article adds:

"According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, illness is caused when chi does not flow properly throughout the body. Acupuncturists determine whether chi is weak, stagnant or otherwise out of balance, which indicates the points to be stimulated. Electroacupuncture is considered to be especially useful for conditions in which there is an accumulation of chi, such as in chronic pain syndromes, or in cases where the chi is difficult to stimulate."[1]

Electroacupuncture is also variously termed EA, electro-acupuncture or incorporated under the generic term electrotherapy.

Electroacupuncture according to Voll (EAV) claims to measure "energy" in acupuncture points and to diagnose ailments. Some devices are registered in FDA as galvanic skin response measuring devices; they may not be used in diagnosis and treatment. Units reportedly sell for around $15,000 and are promoted for diagnosis of conditions including "parasites, food and environmental sensitivities, candida, nutritional deficiencies and much more."[2] It is promoted for diagnosis of allergies.

Scientific research

The Cochrane Collaboration, a group of evidence-based medicine (EBM) reviewers, reviewed acupuncture and electroacupuncture for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Because of the small number and poor quality of studies, they found no evidence to recommend its use for this condition. The reviewers concluded:

"Although the results of the study on electroacupuncture show that electroacupuncture may be beneficial to reduce symptomatic knee pain in patients with RA 24 hours and 4 months post treatment, the reviewers concluded that the poor quality of the trial, including the small sample size preclude its recommendation. The reviewers further conclude that acupuncture has no effect on ESR, CRP, pain, patient's global assessment, number of swollen joints, number of tender joints, general health, disease activity and reduction of analgesics. These conclusions are limited by methodological considerations such as the type of acupuncture (acupuncture vs electroacupuncture), the site of intervention, the low number of clinical trials and the small sample size of the included studies."[3]

A 2016 systematic review and meta-analysis found inconclusive evidence that electroacupuncture was effective for nausea and vomiting and hyperemesis gravidarum during pregnancy.[4]

Regarding EAV devices, "results are not reproducible when subject to rigorous testing and do not correlate with clinical evidence of allergy".[5] There is no credible evidence of diagnostic capability.[5] The American Cancer Society has concluded that the evidence does not support the use of EAV "as a method that can diagnose, cure, or otherwise help people with cancer" or "as a reliable aid in diagnosis or treatment of .. other illness"[6] In double-blind trials, "A wide variability of the measurements was found in most patients irrespective of their allergy status and of the substance tested. Allergic patients showed more negative skin electrical response at the second trial, compared to normal controls, independent of the tested substance. No significant difference in skin electrical response between allergens and negative controls could be detected."[7]

A 2017 study demonstrated reduced urine leakage due to stress incontinence of 50% or more in two-thirds of subjects. [8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Acupuncture Today: Electroacupuncture". 2004-02-01. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
  2. ^ Science Based Medicine
  3. ^ Casimiro L, Barnsley L, Brosseau L, et al. (2005). Casimiro L (ed.). "Acupuncture and electroacupuncture for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis". Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010 (4): CD003788. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003788.pub2. PMC 8729824. PMID 16235342.
  4. ^ Van den Heuvel, E; Goossens, M; Vanderhaegen, H; Sun, HX; Buntinx, F (13 January 2016). "Effect of acustimulation on nausea and vomiting and on hyperemesis in pregnancy: a systematic review of Western and Chinese literature". BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 16: 13. doi:10.1186/s12906-016-0985-4. PMC 4711053. PMID 26758211.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  5. ^ a b Wüthrich B (2005). "Unproven techniques in allergy diagnosis" (PDF). J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 15 (2): 86–90. PMID 16047707.
  6. ^ "Electrodermal Screening". ACS. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  7. ^ Semizzi M, Senna G, Crivellaro M, et al. (June 2002). "A double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the diagnostic accuracy of an electrodermal test in allergic subjects". Clin. Exp. Allergy. 32 (6): 928–32. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2222.2002.01398.x. PMID 12047441. S2CID 30549882.
  8. ^ "Acupuncture: What You Need To Know". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
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