WHO Acupuncture Skin & Cancer diseases -Dr.A.Ravindranathkennedy M.D(Acu)-View

World Health Organaisation

WHO Acupuncture Skin & Cancer diseases -Dr.A.Ravindranathkennedy M.D(Acu)-View

Skin diseases

In some countries, many skin diseases are customarily treated with acupuncture, but very few controlled studies have been published. In a randomized controlled clinical trial on chloasma, acupuncture had a significantly better effect than vitamins C and E.

Some evidence favouring acupuncture treatment of herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpesvirus 3) has been reported. In a randomized controlled trial, laser acupuncture relieved pain and promoted formation of scar tissue much more quickly than treatment with polyinosinic acid.

Acupuncture is known to have an antipruritic effect. This has been shown experimentally in volunteers, suggesting that acupuncture could be used in clinical conditions associated with pruritus. Acupuncture with dermal needles (seven-star or plum-blossom needles) has traditionally been used in the treatment of neurodermatitis, but confirmation of its effect in a controlled clinical trial was only recently reported.

For the treatment of acne vulgaris, acupuncture, particularly ear acupuncture, is worth recommending if the reported therapeutic effects can be further proved.

Cancers

No controlled study has been reported on the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of cancer itself. However, acupuncture still has uses in cancer treatments. One is to relieve cancer pain, and the other is to control the adverse reactions to radiotherapy and chemo therapy. For cancer pain, it has been reported that acupuncture provided an immediate analgesic effect similar to that of codeine and pethidine, with a more marked effect after use for two months. The effect was comparable with that achieved using the analgesic steps recommended by WHO. For radiotherapy and chemotherapy, acupuncture can greatly lessen the adverse reactions in the digestive and nervous systems, as well as providing protection against damage to haematopoiesis.

Other reports

Obesity and hyperlipaemia are becoming increasingly important medical issues. If acupuncture could help in reducing body weight and blood lipids, its clinical use could be greatly expanded. Quite a number of reports on this effect have been published, but unfortunately, almost none of them is methodologically sound. There are only two preliminary reports of randomized controlled clinical trials that can be cited here, although criticism of the study design cannot be totally avoided.

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Acupuncture may be of benefit to patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Its efficacy has been shown to be superior to that of placebos and comparable with that of tolbutamide.

Anisodamine is effective in treating excessive salivation induced by drugs (usually antipsychotics), but acupuncture seems to be more effective.

There are also reports on the treatment of Sjögren syndrome (sicca syndrome), Raynaud syndrome, Stein–Leventhal syndrome (polycystic ovary syndrome), and Tietze syndrome (costochondritis), which indicate beneficial effects from acupuncture treatment. Since these reports have appeared only in individual papers, confirmation by further study is necessary.

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Article posted – Arun Acupuncture Clinic Founder and the Chief Consultant -Dr.A.Ravindranathkennedy M.D(Acu), Singampunari, Sivagangai District, Tamilnadu State, India-630502. E-Mail. dr98646@gmail.com