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:
Researchers at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health (Rockville, Maryland) evaluated three representative devices intended for electrostimulation of acupuncture needles. The abstract at PubMed summarizes their findings:
Electroacupuncture is meant to connect your physical and spiritual self. There are potential benefits for both parts of your body. Physically, this treatment is designed to help you feel better. Spiritually, this treatment is meant to help you understand your qi and the energy you have around you.
Studies have also found that electroacupuncture may help your body release mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into your bloodstream. MSCs are adult stem cells mostly found in your bone marrow. MSCs help your body create different types of tissues. They also have healing properties.
You may like this treatment if you're ready to experience a new level of acupuncture. Because electricity and needles are involved, you should understand the potential drawbacks of electroacupuncture.
There are a few risks of electroacupuncture. With the electricity component used in this type of acupuncture, certain individuals aren't recommended to try this therapy. People who have a history of any of the following conditions should avoid electroacupuncture:
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age, is characterized by hyperandrogenism, oligo/amenorrhea, and polycystic ovaries. We aimed to determine whether low-frequency electro-acupuncture (EA) would decrease hyperandrogenism and improve oligo/amenorrhea more effectively than physical exercise or no intervention. We randomized 84 women with PCOS, aged 18-37 yr, to 16 wk of low-frequency EA, physical exercise, or no intervention. The primary outcome measure changes in the concentration of total testosterone (T) at week 16 determined by gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was analyzed by intention to treat. Secondary outcome measures were changes in menstrual frequency; concentrations of androgens, estrogens, androgen precursors, and glucuronidated androgen metabolites; and acne and hirsutism. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, after 16 wk of intervention, and after a 16-wk follow-up. After 16 wk of intervention, circulating T decreased by -25%, androsterone glucuronide by -30%, and androstane-3Î,17Î-diol-3-glucuronide by -28% in the EA group (P = 0.038, 0.030, and 0.047, respectively vs. exercise); menstrual frequency increased to 0.69/month from 0.28 at baseline in the EA group (P = 0.018 vs. exercise). After the 16-wk follow-up, the acne score decreased by -32% in the EA group (P = 0.006 vs. exercise). Both EA and exercise improved menstrual frequency and decreased the levels of several sex steroids at week 16 and at the 16-wk follow-up compared with no intervention. Low-frequency EA and physical exercise improved hyperandrogenism and menstrual frequency more effectively than no intervention in women with PCOS. Low-frequency EA was superior to physical exercise and may be useful for treating hyperandrogenism and oligo/amenorrhea.
To investigate the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) as a non-pharmacological intervention to prevent or reduce chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy of taxane. Women with stage I-III breast cancer scheduled to receive taxane therapy were randomized to receive a standardized protocol of 12 true or sham EA (SEA) weekly treatments concurrent with taxane treatment. Subjects completed the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Taxane neurotoxicity subscale (FACT-NTX), and other assessments at baseline and weeks 6, 12, and 16. A total of 180 subjects were screened, 63 enrolled and 48 completed week 16 assessments. Mean age was 50 with 25 % white, 25 % black, and 43 % Hispanic; 52 % had no prior chemotherapy. At week 12, both groups reported an increase in mean BPI-SF worst pain score, but no mean differences were found between groups (SEA 2.8 vs. EA 2.6, P = .86). By week 16, the SEA group returned to baseline, while the EA group continued to worsen (SEA 1.7 vs. EA 3.4, P = .03). The increase in BPI-SF worst pain score was 1.62 points higher in the EA group than in the SEA group at week 16 (P = .04). In a randomized, sham-controlled trial of EA for prevention of taxane-induced CIPN, there were no differences in pain or neuropathy between groups at week 12. Of concern, subjects on EA had a slower recovery than SEA subjects. Future studies should focus on EA for treatment as opposed to prevention of CIPN.
Methods: We conducted a randomised controlled trial of electro-acupuncture (EA) as compared to waitlist control (WLC) and sham acupuncture (SA) in postmenopausal women with breast cancer who self-reported arthralgia attributable to AIs. Acupuncturists performed 10 EA/SA treatments over 8 weeks using a manualised protocol with 2 Hz electro-stimulation delivered by a TENS unit. Acupuncturists administered SA using Streitberger (non-penetrating) needles at non-traditional acupuncture points without electro-stimulation. The primary end-point was pain severity by Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) between EA and WLC at Week 8; durability of response at Week 12 and comparison of EA to SA were secondary aims.
Our previous studies have found that heroin addicts may appear tenderness points beside the T5 and L2 spines, and their abstinence symptoms can be improved by puncturing Jiaji point with electro-acupuncture.[12] The T5, L2 Jiaji point is on the one hand near to the Governor Vessel, on the other hand transverse the Ping xin shu (BL15) and Shen shu (BL27), and thus has a function of tranquilizing and sedating the mind. Meanwhile, Nei guan (PC6) and Shen men (HT7) can regulate the mind by combination with Zu san li (ST36) and San yin jiao (SP6). Therefore, we selected this combination of points for treatment of abstinence symptoms after MA addition.
In summary, patients receiving EA showed a more significant improvement in abstinence symptoms than those without undergoing EA, which compensates for the deficiency of acupuncture for treatment of MA addiction, and provides scientific basis for acupuncture treatment as an adjunctive therapy during withdrawal from MA.
Electroacupuncture is similar to acupuncture, a widely practiced form of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Acupuncture involves the use of thin needles to stimulate specific pressure points linked to unwanted symptoms.
One study used electroacupuncture treatments. In this study, those who received electroacupuncture treatment reported a significant reduction in knee pain just 24 hours after treatment. This effect lasts as long as four months after treatment.
A more recent literature review from 2017 looked at 11 randomized controlled trials on electroacupuncture for knee osteoarthritis. The results suggest electroacupuncture helped to both reduce pain and improve movement. The authors noted that the studies seemed to suggest four weeks of treatment were needed.
The authors also found evidence to suggest a combination of electroacupuncture and pain medication may be more effective than medication alone. This is promising, as it could mean that using electroacupuncture for pain relief may reduce the need for high doses of medicine.
A 2005 review of 11 randomized trials looked at the use of acupuncture to reduce chemotherapy-related vomiting. The authors noted that electroacupuncture appeared to be more helpful for reducing vomiting right after a chemotherapy treatment than standard acupuncture.
Electroacupuncture is closely related to acupuncture, but it involves stimulating two needles with an electrical current. Some believe that this enhances the healing properties of traditional acupuncture.
Align and Anderson Chiropractic are outpatient clinics located in Maryville, Tennessee that offer medical and chiropractic services for the treatment of pain. According to the contentions of the United States contained in the settlement agreement, between September 2016 and March 2019 Align and Anderson Chiropractic routinely presented, or caused to be presented, to Medicare false claims for payment for the placement of electro-acupuncture devices on patients. The placement of these devices was improperly billed under code L8679, which resulted in the clinics receiving payments from Medicare to which they were not entitled.
Dr. Huisheng Xie, director of the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine in Florida, trains students in administering electroacupuncture to a horse. He collaborated with VA's Dr. Fletcher White and others on a study of the therapy's mechanisms. (Photo: ÂChi Institute/2016-2017)
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