Drs Martin & Sue Allbright

'Blending an ancient medical approach of mind and body with modern health'

Acupuncture Research

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We would like to share with you our personal view, beliefs and approach about the research that is presented on these pages.

We both value the research of modern science and the many developments that have been discovered.

We also value the depth of wisdom and knowledge of traditional and classical five element acupuncture, which integrates the many aspects of body and mind.

We acknowledge the information gained from research, and we endevaour to use it where appropriate when meeting the needs of an individual who is suffering in health.

We hope later to share more information on the five elements of acupuncture.

Classical Acupuncture

This site was last updated on

18th March 2020

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Endometriosis

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided in this site is accurate. It is not the intention to mislead or misinform anyone.

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Is there a role for  acupuncture in endometriosispa in, or ‘endometrialgia’?

'The descending pain inhibition is activated by acupuncture or moxibustion (heat stimulation).'

Lundeberg T. & Lund I. (2008) Is there a role for  acupuncture in endometriosis

pain, or ‘endometrialgia’? Acupuncture In Medicine 2008;26(2):94-110.

Adolescent endometriosis-related pelvic pain treated with acupuncture: two case reports

'Two case reports describing the impact of a course of acupuncture on adolescent girls with endometriosis related chronic pelvic pain of more than one year. Both patients, undergoing between 9 and 15 treatments over a 7 to 12 week period, experienced modest improvement in pain, as well as self or family reported improvement in headaches, nausea and fatigue. No adverse effects were reported. The authors conclude that acupuncture may be an acceptable and safe adjunctive therapy for some adolescents with endometriosis related pelvic pain refractory to standard endometriosis treatments.'

Highfield ES, Laufer MR, Schnyer RN, Kerr CE, Thomas P, Wayne PM. (2006) Adolescent endometriosis-related pelvic pain treated with acupuncture: two case reports. J Altern Complement Med 2006;12(3):317-22.

Controlled study on Shu-Mu point combination for treatment of endometriosis

METHODS: Ninety cases were randomly divided into a Shu-Mu point combination group (n = 30) treated with acupuncture at Ganshu (BL 18), Pishu (BL 20), Shenshu (BL 23), Qimen (LR 14), Zhangmen (LR 13), Jingmen (GB 25); a routine needling group (n = 30) treated with acupuncture at Hegu (LI 4), Zhongji (CV 3), Guanyuan (CV 4), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and a western medicine group treated with oral administration of Danazol. Clinical symptoms and signs, tumor marker serum CA125 values and adverse effects in the three groups were investigated before and after treatment.

RESULTS: The total effective rate was similar in the three groups. The Shu-Mu point combination group was superior to other two groups in improvement of dysmenorrhea, irregular menstuation, lumbago and sacrodynia, anus engorge, etc. (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: Shu-Mu point combination needling method has an obvious therapeutic effect on endometriosis, with lower adverse effect than that of the western medicine group.

Sun YZ, Chen HL. (2006) Controlled study on Shu-Mu point combination for treatment of endometriosis. Zhongguo Zhen jiu = Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion [2006, 26(12):863-865]

Management of Adolescent Chronic Pelvic Pain from Endometriosis: A Pain Center Perspective

'A retrospective study of pediatric patients at our pain treatment service showed that adolescents with endometriosis frequently used acupuncture and 70% of patients and 59% of parents felt that acupuncture helped their symptoms.'

Conclusions: An individualized, multidisciplinary approach may be effective in improving overall outcome in patients with chronic pelvic pain in reducing pain and normalizing function.'

Greco C. D. (2003) Management of Adolescent Chronic Pelvic Pain from Endometriosis: A Pain Center Perspective  2003 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. doi:10.1016/S1083-3188(03)00064-0

Japanese-Style Acupuncture for Endometriosis-Related Pelvic Pain in Adolescents and Young Women: Results of a Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial.

Conclusion: Preliminary estimates indicate that Japanese-style acupuncture may be an effective, safe, and well-tolerated adjunct therapy for endometriosis-related pelvic pain in adolescents. A more definitive trial evaluating Japanese-style acupuncture in this population is both feasible and warranted.

Procedure. Diagnostic elements of the protocol included patient interviews, palpation of radial pulses and the abdomen, and measures of electrical resistance at acupuncture points located at the tips of the fingers and toes (Jing-well points) using a Hibiki-7 device (Asahi Butsuryooki Research Lab; Kita Kyoto, Japan). Treatment elements of the protocol included: (1) needling 8-12 points to activate and balance Extraordinary and Divergent acupuncture channels; (2) burning of small threads of a ‘warming’ herb (moxibustion) on both back shu acupuncture points and sacral areas that affect the pelvic region; and (3) electro-stimulation of reactive auricular acupuncture points using the Hibiki-7 device. All needling employed sterile, single-use needles and followed mandated clean needle techniques. Sham acupuncture was designed to mimic active treatments, while being minimally active. Sham treatments employed a validated sham acupuncture device that does not penetrate the skin. Because this device does not puncture the skin, the effect is minimized. However, the sham acupuncture device may not be completely inactive because the presence of a needle-like device and light contact near a site has not yet been proven to be inert. Designed to look like a real acupuncture needle, upon insertion pressure, the sham needle shaft retracts upwards into the needle handle. This device has been employed in a number of prior trials in which patient blinding with respect to treatment allocation has been maintained. To minimize any therapeutic effect, sham needles were positioned at non-acupuncture points and without meridian alpation. Protocols for sham moxibustion and sham ear stimulation were similarly designed and implemented to mimic the active intervention.

Wayne P.M. et al. (2008) Japanese-Style Acupuncture for Endometriosis-Related Pelvic Pain in Adolescents and Young Women: Results of a Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol (2008) 21:247e257

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(2017) Effects of acupuncture for the treatment of endometriosis-related pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

‘Conclusions: Few randomised, blinded clinical trials have addressed the efficacy of acupuncture in treating endometriosis-related pain. Nonetheless, the current literature suggests that acupuncture reduces pain ….., regardless of the control intervention used. To confirm these findings, additional, blinded studies with proper controls and adequate sample sizes are needed.’

Yang Xu, Wenli Zhao, et al. (2017) Effects of acupuncture for the treatment of endometriosis-related pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE 12(10): e0186616.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186616

Psychotherapy With Somatosensory Stimulation for Endometriosis-Associated Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

‘Abstract OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether psychotherapy with somatosensory stimulation is effective for the treatment of pain and quality of life in patients with endometriosis-related pain.

METHODS: Patients with a history of endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain were randomized to either psychotherapy with somatosensory stimulation (ie, different techniques of acupuncture point stimulation) or wait-list control for 3 months, after which all patients were treated. The primary outcome was brain connectivity assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Prespecified secondary outcomes included pain on 11-point numeric rating scales (maximal and average global pain, pelvic pain, dyschezia, and dyspareunia) and physical and mental quality of life. A sample size of 30 per group was planned to compare outcomes in the treatment group and the wait-list control group.

RESULTS: From March 2010 through March 2012, 67 women (mean age 35.6 years) were randomly allocated to intervention (n=35) or wait-list control (n=32). In comparison with wait-list controls, treated patients showed improvements after 3 months in maximal global pain, average global pain, pelvic pain, dyschezia, physical quality of life, and mental quality of life ; dyspareunia improved nonsignificantly. Improvements in the intervention group remained stable at 6 and 24 months, and control patients showed comparable symptom relief after delayed intervention.

CONCLUSION: Psychotherapy with somatosensory stimulation reduced global pain, pelvic pain, and dyschezia and improved quality of life in patients with endometriosis. After 6 and 24 months, when all patients were treated, both groups showed stable improvements.’

‘Specific detail of method. A typical treatment session took 30–60 minutes. The topics of a single session arose from the current wishes and needs of a patient. The therapist started by asking the patient to report present worries and accompanying bodily sensations (eg, feelings of pressure, tension or pain in certain body areas). The therapist then used somatosensory stimulation in combination with psychotherapeutic techniques to resolve the current symptoms. For example, if a patient reported acute tension or pain in the lower abdomen while remembering a shameful situation in childhood, the therapist asked the patients for her inner needs while visualizing this situation and at the same time stimulated the acupuncture point CV3 (approximately 1.5 cm above the symphysis) by moxibustion. This typically induced immediate feelings of warmth in the lower abdomen and often led to spontaneous symptom relief. The strategy for somatosensory stimulation followed the principles of traditional Chinese medicine to balance for “yin” and “yang.” The goal of each session was to render the patient into a stable and relaxed state free of pain and negative emotions by resolving intrusive memories of adverse life experiences (eg, death of a close relative or friend, sexual abuse, domestic violence). Psychotherapy was terminated when patients felt sufficient pain relief, had a baby, or when they wished to finish treatment as a result of nonresponse or long distance.

Meissner K, Schweizer-Arau A, Limmer A, Preibisch C, Popovici RM, Lange I, de Oriol B, Beissner F. (2016)  Psychotherapy With Somatosensory Stimulation for Endometriosis-Associated Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial Pub. Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Nov;128(5):1134-1142

Acupuncture for pain in endometriosis (Cochrane Review)

' only one trial, enrolling 67 participants, met all the inclusion criteria. The single included trial defined pain scores and cure rates according to the Guideline for Clinical Research on New Chinese Medicine. Dysmenorrhoea scores were lower in the acupuncture group (mean difference -4.81 points, 95% confidence interval -6.25 to -3.37, P < 0.00001) using the 15-point Guideline for Clinical Research on New Chinese Medicine for Treatment of Pelvic Endometriosis scale. The total effective rate ('cured', 'significantly effective' or 'effective') for auricular acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine was 91.9% and 60%, respectively (risk ratio 3.04, 95% confidence interval 1.65 to 5.62, P = 0.0004). The improvement rate did not differ significantly between auricular acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for cases of mild to moderate dysmenorrhoea, whereas auricular acupuncture did significantly reduce pain in cases of severe dysmenorrhoea. Data were not available for secondary outcomes measures. The evidence to support the effectiveness of acupuncture for pain in endometriosis is limited, based on the results of only a single study that was included in this review.'

Zhu X, Hamilton KD, McNicol ED (2011) Acupuncture for pain in endometriosis (Review) Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 9. Art. No.: CD007864. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007864.pub2.

Is acupuncture in addition to conventional medicine effective as pain treatment for endometriosis? A randomised controlled cross-over trial.

'Conclusion: Acupuncture treatment on specific acupuncture points appears to be an effective pain treatment for endometriosis, but this has to be confirmed in further study.'

Discussion: The result of the study showed a statistically significant reduction of pain in the verum group as well as an improved quality of life.

Also, While in the run-in phase 21% of participants took no analgesics, this was true for 54% at the end of the study.

Treatment group, according to TCM criteria Bl 32 – ciliao,  St 29 – guidai , St 36 – zusanli , Ren 3 – zhongji , Sp 6 – sanyinjiao, as a basic treatment and on a maximum of three variable points according to their individual conditions. Li 3 – taichong , Li 8 – ququan, Sp 9 – yinlingquan , Sp 10 – xuehai, Ki 10 – yingu.

Rubi-Klein K. et al. (2010) Is acupuncture in addition to conventional medicine effective as pain treatment for endometriosis? A randomised controlled cross-over trial. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 153 (2010) 90–93

Article reviewed further.

Stener-Victorin, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (2011) COMMENTARY on Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies Volume 16(3) September 2011 214–249

Electrodermal Measures of Jing-Well Points and their Clinical Relevance in Endometriosis-Related Chronic Pelvic Pain.

'Conclusions: Electrodermal measures may be significantly associated with clinical outcome and acupuncture treatments in adolescent women with chronic pelvic pain.'

Ahn A.C. et al. (2009) Electrodermal Measures of Jing-Well Points and Their Clinical Relevance in Endometriosis-Related Chronic Pelvic Pain. ,THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE  Volume 15, Number 12, 2009, pp. 1293–1305

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