Showing category "herbal medicine" (Show all posts)

Acupuncture for post-stroke depression: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, In : Nervous system 

https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-023-04749-1#article-info

Sixty-two studies, involving 5308 participants published from 2003 to 2022, were included. The results showed that compared with western medicine (WM) (defined as pharmacotherapy for PSD), acupuncture (AC) alone or with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (RTMS), Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) alone or with WM, were superior for alleviating depression symptoms. Compared to Usual Care, AC alone...


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Clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment of TIC disorder in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 randomized controlled trials - PubMed

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, In : Nervous system 


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Short-term use of ibuprofen may increase chance of chronic pain, study suggests

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, May 13, 2022, In : News & research 

Using drugs like ibuprofen and steroids to relieve short-term health problems could increase the chances of developing chronic pain, new research suggests.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/may/11/short-term-use-of-ibuprofen-may-increase-chance-of-chronic-pain-study-suggests


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New York Times: Considering Bone or Joint Surgery? You May Not Need It.

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, January 7, 2022, In : News & research 
British researchers looked at studies of 10 common orthopedic operations, including surgeries of the knee, hip, shoulder, spine and wrist. They found good evidence of the superiority of surgery over other treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome and total knee replacement.  For six other common surgeries, randomized trials found little advantage over interventions like exercise, weight management, physical therapy and drug treatment. The researchers found no controlled trials that had compared h...
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Acupuncture for Constipation

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, May 13, 2021, In : Digestive system 

22-year-old Ellen was visiting her boyfriend's family last year. During her stay she developed constipation, probably due to change of place and diet. She couldn't open her bowels for about 10 days and felt really uncomfortable. Her boyfriend's mum got worried and brought her to see me. I did electro-acupuncture in her tummy and cupping on her back. She felt relaxed afterwards. Two days later I got a phone call from her boyfriend's mum saying: "Ellen went to the toilet a few times the day aft...


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NICE Recommends Acupuncture for Chronic Primary pain

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, April 8, 2021, In : News & research 
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published support for the use of both traditional Chinese and Western acupuncture for chronic primary pain.  Chronic primary pain is defined by NICE as pain for which no underlying condition adequately accounts for the pain or its impact. 

In November 2016, NICE did not support acupuncture for the treatment of low back pain.  Their view was that there was no evidence that it was better than sham treatment. (https://www.nice.org.uk/news/...
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Acupuncture for Long Covid - Case 2

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, February 8, 2021, In : Respiratory system 
49-year-old Andrea caught Covid-19 in March. She had a history of asthma for many years. When Covid hit her, the symptoms  were mainly in her respiratory system. She had bad cough with phlegm, short breath with wheezing, high temperature and extreme fatigue. The symptoms stabilized after a month's treatment of antibiotics and steroid. But six months on, the lung  infection and fatigue were still stopping her from living a normal life. At the time when she came to see me, she was  coughing and...
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Acupuncture for Long Covid - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, November 20, 2020, In : Muscular-skeletal system 

Chris, a 33-year-old strong-built man, caught Covid-19 in April 2020. He had fever for a week followed by a pain in his right calf and heel, which then came on in his other leg and spread to the whole body accompanied by joint stiffness. He  lost his energy and couldn't work until a few months later when the symptoms eased. Six months on, his calves were still hurting and affecting his walking, so he came to see me. On examination, his legs were slightly swollen and his calves and right heel ...


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Commonly used treatments for chronic pain can do more harm than good and should not be used, says NICE in draft guidance

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, In : News & research 
Acupuncture is recommended as an option for some people with chronic primary pain, provided it is delivered within certain, clearly defined parameters.
https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/commonly-used-treatments-for-chronic-pain-can-do-more-harm-than-good-and-should-not-be-used-says-nice-in-draft-guidance

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Clinics Reopen

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, June 11, 2020,
Dear clients,

Both of our clinics in Penrith and Workington are now open. To manage the transmission risk of Covid-19, we are only arranging appointments over the phone at this stage. On the call we will do a risk assessment for Covid-19, and between each appointment we will carry out proper cleaning for treatment rooms and facilities. We will be using face coverings during treatment. Appointments will be spaced out to avoid contact between patients.

When you arrive for your appointment please...
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Acupuncture for Trigeminal Neuralgia - Case 2

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, February 27, 2020, In : Nervous system 

Jean, 80-year-old farmer's wife, suddenly started getting a terrible pain on the right side of her face. She had unpredictable attacks of intense, electric shock-like pain, which would last from a few seconds to a few minutes. Sometimes a light touch on the right side of her nose could trigger the pain. Her doctor believed it was trigeminal neuralgia, which could be related with her long standing condition of multiple sclerosis (MS). In MS, trigeminal neuralgia is most often caused by damage ...


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Clinical Evidence for Association of Acupuncture and Acupressure With Improved Cancer Pain - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Posted by Peng Zhang on Saturday, December 21, 2019, In : News & research 
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2757396

Abstract

Importance  Research into acupuncture and acupressure and their application for cancer pain has been growing, but the findings have been inconsistent.

Objective  To evaluate the existing randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for evidence of the association of acupuncture and acupressure with reduction in cancer pain.

Data Sources  Three English-language databases (PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL) and 4 Chinese-language biomedical d...


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Acupuncture for Coccyx Pain - Case 2

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, October 11, 2019, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
76-year-old Iris suffered from a pain in her coccyx for over 20 years. It all started after a fall. The pain was mainly felt in sitting position and sometimes spread to her right buttock. Recently it got worse and even hurt in the night. Following a friend's advice, she came to see me for acupuncture. On physical exam, her lower back and right buttock were tight and tender. So I used local points for electro-acupuncture. On the second visit she said her coccyx had been pain free but the right...
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Effects of acupuncture on nutritional state of patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): re-analysis of COPD acupuncture trial, a randomized controlled trial

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, In : Respiratory system 
Masao Suzuki,corresponding author1,3 Shigeo Muro,2 Motonari Fukui,3 Naoto Ishizaki,4 Susumu Sato,5 Tetsuhiro Shiota,6 Kazuo Endo,7 Tomoko Suzuki,1
Tadamichi Mitsuma,1 Michiaki Mishima,8 and Toyohiro Hirai5


Abstract

Background
There are an increasing number of evidences that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a systemic illness and that bodyweight loss is its prominent
manifestation. We focused on the nutritional outcomes to find out the effec...

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Acupuncture for Loss of Smell

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, In : E.N.T. 
58-year-old Mr Kanp is from Germany. He was on holiday in our area and staying with a friend. When he complained about his loss of sense of smell, his friend recommended he come to see me. He told me that five months ago he had a very bad cold and took antibiotics for it. After that he lost part of sense of smell. He could only sense a strange, unfamiliar smell when some odours were very strong. His throat felt uncomfortable and his taste was also affected. Doctors were not sure what caused t...
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Effects of Acupuncture Treatment on Fibromyalgia Symptoms, Serotonin, and Substance P Levels: A Randomized Sham and Placebo - Controlled Clinical Trial

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, April 29, 2019, In : Nervous system 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29220534
Pain Med. 2018 Mar 1;19(3):615-628. 

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of acupuncture treatment on serum levels of serotonin and substance P (SP) as well as on clinical parameters in patients with fibromyalgia (FM).


METHODS:
This is a randomized controlled clinical trial. Seventy-five women with FM were randomized into one of three kinds of acupuncture treatment: real acupuncture group (AcG), sham acupuncture group (Sh...

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Can acupuncture help menopause symptoms?

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, March 14, 2019, In : News & research 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-47279032?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c340r94dll5t/acupuncture&link_location=live-reporting-story

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Acupuncture for Diarrhoea

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, January 14, 2019, In : Digestive system 
Jacob, a 25-year-old sports therapist had suffered from diarrhoea for 10  
months. He woke up in the morning with a abdominal ache and had to go to  
the toilet 6-7 times then go again 1-2 times in the evening. He  
also got diarrhoea after doing exercise or drinking water. His tummy  
ache seemed to start from the right lower part of his abdomen and travel  
to the left side, where the urgency of going to toilet was triggered.  He suffered from chronic lower back pain in the past and it was aggra...

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Acupuncture's Role in Solving the Opioid Epidemic: Evidence, Cost- Effectiveness, and Care Availability for Acupuncture as a Primary, Non-Pharmacologic Method for Pain Relief and Management- White Paper 2017.

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, November 8, 2018, In : Nervous system 

Abstract
The United States (U.S.) is facing a national opioid epidemic, and medical systems are in need of non-pharmacologic strategies that can be employed to decrease the public's opioid dependence. Acupuncture has emerged as a powerful, evidence-based, safe, cost-effective, and available treatment modality suitable to meeting this need. Acupuncture has been shown to be effective for the management of numerous types of pain conditions, and mechanis...

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Acupuncture for Cough

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, August 17, 2018, In : Respiratory system 
34-year-old Sharon had a bad cough for over 2 months. She'd actually had a similar sinario 2 years ago, which lasted 4 months. This time, after a cold, it kept on and on again, bothering her day and night. It was a dry cough, which could be triggered by change of temperature, speaking or unknown reason. Sometimes it could be a paroxysmal spasmodic fit. It was her physiotherapist who noticed her stubborn problem then recommended she come to see me. At the time, I wasn't feeling too confident a...
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Effect of Acupuncture on Postoperative Ileus after Distal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, July 11, 2018, In : Digestive system 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5362830/ J Gastric Cancer. 2017 Mar;17(1):11-20. doi: 10.5230/jgc.2017.17.e2. 
By Jung SY, Chae HD, Kang UR, Kwak MA, Kim IH. 

Abstract 

PURPOSE: Acupuncture has recently been accepted as a treatment option for managing postoperative ileus (POI) and various functional gastrointestinal disorders. Therefore, we conducted a prospective randomized study to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on POI and other surgical outcomes in patients who underwent gast...

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Acupuncture for Trigger Finger

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, May 25, 2018, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
71-year-old musician Christine had developed a trigger finger from enthusiastic violin practising. The ring finger on her left hand was hurting and got stuck in a very bent position. She couldn't straighten it even with the help from the other hand. Her elbow and shoulder hurt as well. On physical exam I found tension in her neck and shoulder. So I did acupuncture and moxabustion in her neck, shoulder and forearm. When came back a week later, she was so amazed that her finger was already stra...

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Acupuncture for IBS

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, In : Digestive system 

33-year-old Vicki had suffered from tummy aches for many years. She was diagnosed with IBS when she was 18. Quite often, especially when she felt anxious or stressed, there was a crampy ache in her abdomen mostly on the left side. Her stools could be either loose or dry. She would feel lethargic. She also had cold hands and feet. Since none of the medicines could help, she decided to try acupuncture. In the first session, I used some points in her tummy and legs. Moxabustion was combined with...


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Acupuncture in Patients with Allergic Asthma: A Randomized Pragmatic Trial

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, February 7, 2018, In : Respiratory system 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28287818 J Altern Complement Med. 2017 Mar 13. doi: 10.1089/acm.2016.0357. 
By Brinkhaus B, Roll S, Jena S, Icke K, Adam D, Binting S, Lotz F, et al., 

Abstract
 
BACKGROUND: 
Although the available evidence is insufficient, acupuncture is used in patients suffering from chronic asthma. The aim of this pragmatic study was to investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in addition to routine care in patients with allergic asthma compared to treatment with routin...

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Acupuncture in cancer study reignites debate about controversial technique

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, December 15, 2017, In : News & research 
Large study suggests acupuncture could help women stick with unpleasant cancer treatments.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-08309-y

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Acupuncture For Endometriosis - Case 2

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, October 23, 2017, In : Reproductive system 
36-year-old Paula had been suffering from severe period pain for three years. It all started after a miscarriage which happened when she was 9 weeks pregnant. Her menstrual cycles were fairly regular, but the blood was dark and clotty. An excruciating pain in her lower abdomen and back would start a week before and last until a week after the period. Her ribs could ache as well. The pain made her feel sick and lethargic. She had not been able to conceive again since the miscarriage, although ...

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Acupuncture For Bedwetting

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, September 22, 2017, In : Nervous system 

Recently, a patient who sees me regularly told me that her seven-year-old daughter Annie had developed bedwetting for a while. She was wet every night and got quite embarrassed. The mum wondered if it was to do with stress, as Annie had started getting homework from school and she is the kind of child who wants to do her best. I told her that it's hard to pinpoint what causes this quite common condition, but according to my experience, acupuncture can be very effective in treating it. A few h...


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Acupuncture for Parkinson's Disease: a review of clinical, animal, and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging studies.

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, August 21, 2017, In : Nervous system 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26742319 
J Tradit Chin Med. 2015 Dec;35(6):709-17 
By Xiao D. 

Abstract

Acupuncture has been commonly used as an adjuvant therapy or monotherapy in the treatment of Parkinson's disease in China and in other countries. Animal studies have consistently show that this treatment is both neuroprotective, protecting dopaminergic neurons from degeneration and also restorative, restoring tyrosine hydroxylase positive dopaminergic terminals in striatum, resulting in imp...

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Complete response to acupuncture therapy in female patients with refractory interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, June 7, 2017, In : Urinary system 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28326514
Ginekol Pol. 2017;88(2):61-67. doi: 10.5603/GP.a2017.0013. 
By Sönmez MG1, Kozanhan B. 

Abstract 
OBJECTIVES: 
Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a considerable issue in urology and gynecology and unfortunately, the treatment options recommended are not fully efficient. Therefore, in this study we aimed to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment in patients with refractory IC/BPS. 

MATERIAL AND METHODS: 12 refractory I...

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Rewiring the primary somatosensory cortex in carpal tunnel syndrome with acupuncture

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, May 10, 2017, In : Nervous system 
Brain. 2017 Mar 2. doi: 10.1093/brain/awx015.
By Maeda Y, Kim H, Kettner N, Kim J, Cina S, Malatesta C, Gerber J, et al.,

Abstract
Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common entrapment neuropathy affecting the median nerve at the wrist. Acupuncture is a minimally invasive and conservative therapeutic option, and while rooted in a complex practice ritual, acupuncture overlaps significantly with many conventional peripherally-focused neuromodulatory thera...

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Acupuncture For Coccyx Pain - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, March 30, 2017, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
25-year-old Beth suffered from a bad pain in her coccyx for 6 months. The pain came every month for a few days and mainly at night time. It was so intense and pain killers didn't help at all. When Beth described the symptom to me, I suspected it was something to do with her menstrual cycle. But I was told that she'd had a coil put in 2 years ago and had no periods since then. On physical examination, I found some sensitive points around her sacrum area and chose two of them for acupuncture. M...
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Acupuncture For Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, February 13, 2017, In : Nervous system 
43-year-old Linda had been suffering from a pain in her left shoulder and chest for a month. The pain was excruciating and radiating down into her left arm. It had come on gradually over a few days without any clear incident associated with symptoms. Linda could only think of a fall about 10 days before the pain started, in which she fell on her left wrist. The doctor gave her pain killers which hadn't help at all. Then she tried a few sessions of sports massage but couldn't get any relief. T...

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Acupuncture for Headaches (Occipital Neuralgia)

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, January 20, 2017, In : Nervous system 
68-year-old Patricia has had headaches for a week. The pain begins in the left side of her upper neck and back of the head and sometimes radiates forward toward the left eye. It is an intense stabbing pain, and the bouts of pain are quite frequent. Since she had benefited a lot from my acupuncture treatments in the past, Patricia decided to see me again for this problem. According to the character of the pain, I believed this condition was occipital neuralgia, which is caused by damage to the...

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Battlefield acupuncture: Opening the door for acupuncture in Department of Defense/Veteran's Administration health care

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, January 6, 2017, In : News & research 
Nurs Outlook. 2016 Sep-Oct;64(5):491-8.
By Walker PH 

Abstract
Battlefield acupuncture is a unique auricular acupuncture procedure which is being used in a number of military medical facilities throughout the Department of Defense (DoD). It has been used with anecdotal published positive impact with warriors experiencing polytrauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic brain injury. It has also been effectively used to treat warriors with mu...

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Electroacupuncture For Patients With Diarrhea-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Functional Diarrhea: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, October 27, 2016, In : Digestive system 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27310980
Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Jun; 95(24):e3884.
By Zheng H

Abstract

Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) and functional diarrhea (FD) are highly prevalent, and the effectiveness of acupuncture for managing IBS-D and FD is still unknown. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of electro-acupuncture with loperamide. It was a prospective, randomized, parallel group controlled trial. A total of 448 participants were randomly a...

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Acupuncture for Cluster Headaches

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, September 29, 2016, In : Nervous system 
David started having headaches 25 years ago. Although he just suffers from them every 3-4 years, the headaches are severe and normally linger for 2-3 months. The attacks start from the inside corner spread to the back of his right eye. They can come at anytime and last 10 minutes to 3 hours. The pain can be so strong that it makes him want to bang his head. After  trying various medications for 10 years without any effect, David was sent to see a consultant, who believed the headaches was cau...

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Cupping: it's not just for Olympians

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, August 10, 2016, In : News & research 
“Athletes train extremely hard for years, so they are not going to waste time on something that doesn’t work or may harm them,” 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/health/cupping-its-not-just-for-olympians/

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Acupuncture 'doubles the chances of getting pregnant through IVF' - but is the placebo effect?

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, July 5, 2016, In : Reproductive system 
  • Over 46 per cent of women undergoing acupuncture treatment conceived
  • While only 21.7 per cent of the women became pregnant in the other group 
  • Treatment may be offered as a possible method of improving IVF outcome
  • Expert says it may only work due to patient spending time with practitioner
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3674013/Acupuncture-doubles-chances-getting-pregnant-IVF-used-improve-fertility-outcomes-future.html#ixzz4DXTWGYcY 

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Differential cerebral response to somatosensory stimulation of an acupuncture point vs. two non-acupuncture-points measured with EEG and fMRI

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, In : News & research 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25741269 Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9: 74 By Till Nierhaus 

Abstract

Acupuncture can be regarded as a complex somatosensory stimulation. Here, we evaluate whether the point locations chosen for a somatosensory stimulation with acupuncture needles differently change the brain activity in healthy volunteers. We used EEG, event-related fMRI, and resting-state functional connectivity fMRI to assess neural responses to standardized needle stimulation of the acupunctu...

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Acupuncture Accelerates Recovery After General Anesthesia: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, March 21, 2016, In : Nervous system 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25797640 J Integr Med. 2015; 13 (2): 99-104 By Gemma M 

Abstract 

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture anesthesia was created in the 1950's in China and continues to be used there today during most major surgeries. It is widely used in China for such complex operations as brain, heart, and abdominal surgery. It is popular in China because it is economical, practical, and beneficial to the patients. With acupuncture anesthesia there is less bleeding during surgery and there...

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Electroacupuncture for Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance and Psychological Distress in Breast Cancer Patients with Aromatase Inhibitor-related Arthralgia: A Randomized Trial

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, January 27, 2016, In : Nervous system 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25077452 Cancer 2014; 120 (23): 3744-51 By Mao JJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although fatigue, sleep disturbance, depression, and anxiety are associated with pain in breast cancer patients, it is unknown whether acupuncture can decrease these comorbid symptoms in cancer patients with pain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on fatigue, sleep, and psychological distress in breast cancer survivors who experience joint p...

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Pain Intensity and Cervical Range of Motion in Women with Myofascial Pain Treated with Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture: A Double-blinded, Randomized Clinical Trial

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, November 4, 2015, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25714602
Braz J Phys Ther 2015; 19 (1): 34-43.
By Aranha MF 

Abstract 

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture stimulates points on the body, influencing the perception of myofascial pain or altering physiologic functions. 

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture (EAC) and acupuncture (AC) for myofascial pain of the upper trapezius and cervical range of motion, using SHAM acupuncture as control. 

METHOD: Sixty women presenting at least one trigger poin...

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Acupuncture for Pregnancy-related Pelvic Girdle Pain (PPGP)

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, September 8, 2015, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
29 year-old Julie has been pregnant for 24 weeks. For over a week she has been having a bad pain in her left groin and it radiates to her left thigh. The pain makes her limp and the most painful time is when she goes downstairs. Her doctor calls this "pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain "(PPGP). 
PPGP is a collection of uncomfortable symptoms caused by a misalignment or stiffness of the pelvic joints at either the back or front of the pelvis. The symptoms can include pain over the pubic bone ...

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Efficacy comparison between Chinese medicine's labor inducement methods and conventional methods customary in hospitals

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, August 24, 2015, In : Reproductive system 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25796676
Harefuah 2015; 154 (1): 47-51, 67, 66
By Amir N
Abstract

INTRODUCTION: According to Chinese medicine, a correct balance of Qi (energy) and quantity of blood are vital in order to commence labor and continue the childbirth process. Correspondingly, there are two main reasons for a delayed or difficult childbirth: lack of Qi and blood or stagnation of Qi and blood.

AIM: Efficacy comparison of Chinese medicine's inducement methods to conventional methods...

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Acupuncture on GB34 activates the precentral gyrus and prefrontal cortex in Parkinson's disease

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, June 30, 2015, In : Nervous system 
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/14/336/abstract BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014 Sep 15;14(1):336. By Sujung Yeo

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is increasingly used as an additional treatment for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).

METHODS: In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, brain activation in response to acupuncture in a group of 12 patients with PD was compared with a group of 12 healthy participants. Acupuncture was conducted on a specific acupoint, the right GB 34 (Y...

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Moxibustion And Acupuncture For The Treatment Of Crohn's Disease

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, May 26, 2015, In : Immune system 
Randomized controlled trial: Moxibustion and acupuncture for the treatment of Crohn's disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4138481/ World J Gastroenterol. 2014 Aug 21;20 (31):11000-11.
By Bao CH

AIM: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of active Crohn's disease (CD).
METHODS: Ninety-two patients were equally and randomly divided into the treatment group and received herb-partitioned moxibustion combined with acupuncture...
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Acupuncture for Barrett's Oesophagus

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, April 2, 2015, In : Digestive system 
Jeanne, a 71-year-old housewife, started having reflux, swallowing difficulty and cough two years ago. As nothing could control the symptoms, she was sent for an endoscopy examination six months ago then was diagnosed with Barrett's oesophagus. This condition refers to an abnormal change in the cells of the lower portion of the oesophagus. It is characterized by the replacement of the normal stratified squamous epithelium lining of the oesophagus by simple columnar epithelium with goblet cell...

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Acupuncture for Hemorrhoid

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, February 27, 2015, In : Dermatology 
Sarah has had hemorrhoid for 10 years. Her symptoms were not too bad until her pregnancy 17 months ago. Since then she has been suffering from non-stop bleeding, pain and itchiness, especially at night. She has been to see the doctor and tried different ointments but couldn't get relief. She also had 6 sessions of acupuncture treatment from someone and that didn't help either. One day she came to ask me if Chinese herbal medicine could help. I explained to her that although Chinese herbs coul...
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York study maps the effects of acupuncture on the brain

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, January 5, 2015, In : News & research 
The study, by researchers at the University of York and the Hull York Medical School published in Brain Research, indicates that acupuncture has a significant effect on specific neural structures.
http://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2010/research/acupuncture/

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Science Behind Medical Acupuncture

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, November 6, 2014, In : News & research 


A special issue of Medical Acupuncture presents a series of articles by authors from around the world who provide diverse and insightful perspectives on the science and physiologic responses underlying medical acupuncture.

http://www.liebertpub.com/global/pressrelease/how-does-acupuncture-work-the-science-behind-the-therapy-is-explored-in-a-special-issue-of-emmedical-acupuncture-em/1238/

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Acupuncture Helps Pediatric Patients Manage Pain and Nausea

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, September 25, 2014, In : News & research 

Controlled studies of acupuncture in pediatric patients have shown its usefulness in managing nausea after surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids and following eye surgery to correct strabismus. It has also been shown to help reduce chronic headache pain in children. Just how acupuncture works is not well understood, but it may stimulate the release of neurotransmitters such as endorphins and serotonin or otherwise inhibit pain transmission.

http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/04/113966/acupunctur...
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Acupuncture for Plum Pit Qi (Lump in throat)

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, August 28, 2014, In : E.N.T. 
Tammy is a 55-year-old manager. She came to me because she had the feeling of a lump in her throat for 3 months. She also had a swollen sensation in her neck around the thyroid gland area. The doctor couldn't find anything in her throat and had arranged an endoscopy to check her oesophagus and stomach, which she was still waiting for. She felt stressed and anxious because she was worried about the examination and feared she was having a tumour. She had fairly good sleep, appetite and digestio...

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Acupuncture for Neck Pain (Osteoarthritis)

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, July 1, 2014, In : Muscular-skeletal system 

Allan is a 68-year-old semi retired farmer. He complained of an 18 months history of worsening neck pain. The pain was going up to the back of his head and down to his shoulders. He also felt dizzy and couldn't control his balance when walking. The pain was really quite severe and he had to go and lie down to give his neck a rest on occasions. This was wearing him down and definitely interfering with his every day activities. He had tried lots of pain killers but not had obvious relief and al...


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Acupuncture for Ankle Pain (Arthritis)

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, May 21, 2014, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
Ian is a retired builder. A few months ago he started having pain in his ankles. The doctor said it was arthritis and gave him various medications but they didn't seem to help. With the pain, his walking was very slow and wobbly. Since he is a 6.2 feet big guy I guessed his weight didn't help either. This problem gave him not only pain but also stress. One day he met a friend in the supermarket and started to complain about his problem. The friend recommended he come to see me. When I checked...
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Acupuncture for Infertility - Case 3

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, April 10, 2014, In : Reproductive system 
June and her husband decided to start a family but didn't succeed after trying for a year. As June was 33 now, both of them were getting a bit anxious, so they went to see the doctor to have examinations. Apart from June's estrogen level was on the lower border, nothing came out positive. June had regular periods with normal blood colour and no obvious discomfort during the periods. She did have a tendency of feeling cold easily. Her tongue looked slightly pale and her pulse felt thin and tau...

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Acupuncture for Urticaria (hives) - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, February 20, 2014, In : Dermatology 
42-year-old Victoria had been to see me in the past for various problems. One day she came again with a skin rash. Her forehead and chest were covered with red spots and felt itchy, and the rash would get worse if she scratched. The GP said it was urticaria (hives) and prescribed antihistamine, but unfortunately the medication didn't work and the problem went on for two months. 

Urticaria happens when a wide range of reasons including allergy or infection cause high levels of histamine and oth...

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Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine for Blepharitis - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, January 27, 2014, In : Dermatology 
48-year-old Helen came to see me with very sore eyelids, which she had suffered from for months. The skin around her eyes was red and swollen and felt very dry. Her eyes had a lot of sticky discharge in the morning and could be very watery during the day. She showed me a handful of different creams prescribed by the doctor or bought over the counter, and said none of them had helped. The soreness and stinging sometimes made her cry. I believed this was inflammation of the rims of the eyelids,...
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Acupuncture for Anxiety - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, January 7, 2014, In : Nervous system 
James is a 34-year-old farmer. He first came to see me in 2005, complaining that he often felt anxious especially in the morning after waking up. He didn't know where this feeling came from, and just couldn't calm down and relax. He also had stomach ache and tiredness, and worried about things very much. He had dry mouth and tended to drink lots of water. With the anxiety he felt life was quite miserable. His tongue looked pale, pulse was taut. According to what I saw, I believed his Liver qi...
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Acupuncture for Essential Tremor - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, November 20, 2013, In : Nervous system 
73-year-old Geoff was diagnosed with essential tremor 10 years ago. In the last year or so the symptoms got gradually worse - his upper body, especially his arms and hands, kept shaking badly so that writing, eating and fastening clothes' buttons became more and more difficult. His sleep was restless, memory was deteriorating and speech was getting slower. He also found difficult to concentrate. His blood pressure had been high for a number of years. His tongue had a tough texture with yellow...
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Acupuncture and IVF

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, October 23, 2013, In : Reproductive system 
Evidence suggests that acupuncture given with embryo transfer improves rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation.

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Acupuncture for Depression: Study

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, October 10, 2013, In : Nervous system 
People with depression may benefit as much from acupuncture as they do from counseling, suggests a new study.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140974.html

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Acupuncture for Infertility - Case 2

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, September 17, 2013, In : Reproductive system 

32-year-old Julia tried to have a baby with her partner for 2 years but didn't succeed. In the past during her previous marriage, she had tried for 3 years and nothing happened either. Both she and her partner went for examinations and no problems were found. Her periods were normal, but her energy level was a bit low and she often felt tired and headachy. Her extremity, especially the feet, always felt cold. She also suffered from water infection from time to time. According to her symptoms ...


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Acupuncture for Testicle Pain

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, September 9, 2013, In : Nervous system 
56-year-old Mr F started having a pain in his right testicle 15 years ago. It came without any known reason and gradually got worse – the pain spread to his right groin and then to the lower abdomen and back. Over the years he had seen many doctors and had various examinations but no explanation could be given. None of the medications he had tried really worked. The latest treatment he had was given by a pain specialist, who did a lumber puncture and sent electrodes into the vertebral canal...

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Acupuncture for chronic achilles tendnopathy: A randomized controlled study

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, August 23, 2013, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
Acupuncture intervention could improve pain and activity in patients with chronic Achilles tendinopathy compared with eccentric exercises.


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Acupuncture for Lymphoedema

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, August 7, 2013, In : Circulatory system 
Catherine is a 51-year-old teacher. She had a pain in her right leg for 2 years. The pain was mainly in her groin and calf, normally after walking. Her right foot felt hot and the whole leg was often swollen, especially in the evenings. Various examinations didn't show anything wrong and the consultant said it was lymphoedema. In terms of modern medicine, lymphoedema is caused by damage or disruption to the lymphatic system. One function of the lymphatic system is to drain excess fluid from t...
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Studies Show That Acupuncture Works for Fibromyalgia

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, July 17, 2013, In : Nervous system 
Please refer to the following modern studies.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23285415
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16770975

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Acupuncture Works for Hay Fever

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, July 4, 2013, In : E.N.T. 
The following mordern studies show that acupuncture is effective in treating hay fever (allergic rhinitis).
 

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Acupuncture Relieves Pain and Improves Function in Knee Osteoarthritis

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
A landmark study shows that acupuncture provides pain lelief and improves functuin for people with osteoarthrites of the knee and serves as an effective complement to standard care. 

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Acupuncture for Hay Fever

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, June 10, 2013, In : E.N.T. 
Thomas is 10 years old and has had hay fever for 2 years. When the weather warms up, his nose is runny, eyes are itchy, and he sneezes a lot. Some days the symptoms can get really bad that he can’t stop sneezing and can’t open his eyes. If he is playing outside when this happens, he has to come back home. He’s been to see the doctor but the medication he got didn’t work. One day his mum was having a telephone conversation with a friend and started talking about her son’s problem, th...
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Acupuncture for Plantar Fasciitis

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
62-year-old Anne came to see me for a pain in her left heel in 2011. The pain had been there for several months and was gradually getting worse. The doctor said it was called plantar fasciitis but couldn't offer any effective treatment. As a keen dog trainer and walker, Anne was very annoyed and took a friend's suggestion to try acupuncture. I used two points in her foot and applied electro-acupuncture and moxabustion. She only had two sessions then went to hospital for another problem. 16 mo...

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Acupuncture for Neck Pain (osteoarthritis)

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, April 29, 2013, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
72-year-old Jenny had osteoarthritis in her neck for many years. Three years ago her neck pain got so bad that she had to have two intervertebral discs replaced, and the pain eased a lot. Two days ago she woke up with a very painful and stiff neck. The pain was so severe that she couldn't move her head. She suspected it might have been caused by a fall she'd had a week ago. She phoned her GP to describe the problem and ask for an appointment, but was told that it's not surprising to have some...

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Electroacupuncture for Moderate and Severe Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, April 19, 2013, In : Urinary system 
The results of this research prove that electroacupuncture is effective in treating enlarged prostate. 
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0059449

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Acupuncture for Atrial Fibrillation

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, March 25, 2013, In : Circulatory system 
Robert, a 59 year-old joiner, suddenly started having a heart problem 18 months ago. He was soon diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (a condition with irregular heart rate), then had two cardioversions (electric shock treatment). Unfortunately, both of the two sessions just worked temporarily then the symptoms came back. When came to see me, Robert was having palpitations and short breath. Even walking could make the symptoms worse, not to mention any physical work. He felt so tired and was st...
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BBC News: Antibiotics resistance 'as big a risk as terrorism'

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, March 11, 2013, In : News & research 

The danger posed by growing resistance to antibiotics should be ranked along with terrorism on a list of threats to the nation, the government's chief medical officer for England has said.


 
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Acupuncture for Cystitis

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, February 18, 2013, In : Urinary system 
36-year-old Helena had suffered from cystitis for nearly three years. It first started after she had intercourse with her boyfriend one day and had recurred every two or three months, always after sex. As she and her boyfriend were moving together, she feared about the increasing chance of getting relapses. Because conventional medications couldn't stop the recurrence, she started to look for alternative treatments and after some research finally decided to try acupuncture. She also complaine...
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Acupuncture for IBS and Hiatus Hernia

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, January 14, 2013, In : Digestive system 
67-year-old Elizabeth had a number of problems when she first came to see me in 2012. She'd had IBS for years and suffered from tummy ache and constipation. In the last few months she'd had acid reflux and had been diagnosed with hiatus hernia. She was anxious, tired and restless at night, and also having headaches, stiff neck and achy back. She had thready pulse and pale tongue with white coating. I believed that in terms of Chinese medicine, the key point in her case was malfunction of the ...
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News: Plymouth NHS Acupuncture Service Petition

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, January 1, 2013, In : News & research 
More than 1,200 people have signed an online petition to save an acupuncture service based at the maternity unit at Plymouth's Derriford Hospital.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-20402684


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Acupuncture for Tenosynovitis - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, December 10, 2012, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
76-year-old Ron came to see me in 2009 for a problem in his right hand. He had a pain in the centre of the palm and his middle finger would lock when it bent, and he had to use the other hand to straighten it out. This condition is called "tenosynovitis", which is a local inflammation causing thickening in the tendon sheath. Because the movement of the tendon is restricted by the thickened tendon sheath, the finger is locked in a bending position, which is called "trigger finger". I found a f...
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Accupuncture for Morton's Neuroma

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, November 20, 2012, In : Nervous system 
45-year-old Tracy had suffered from a discomfort in her right foot for 8 months. There was a dull ache in the contiguous halves of the third and fourth toes. She had tried some specially made insoles from the chiropodist but didn't get any help. Recently she started having a hot feeling in the same place on her other foot. She went to see the doctor and was diagnosed with Morton's neuroma, which is a fibrous tissue formation around the intermetatarsal plantar nerve. Since the medication didn'...
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News: Acupuncture Is Effective in Treating Breast Cancer Patients for Fatigue

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, November 2, 2012, In : Nervous system 

A three-year trial showed acupuncture had across-the-board benefits, alleviating both mental and physical fatigue and improving overall quality of life in breast cancer patients.

http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/2012/10/29/JCO.2012.41.6222.abstract?sid=b2784545-82ce-4c04-80dd-4bc7de3cb4f8
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Acupuncture for Urinary Tract Infection

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, October 23, 2012, In : Urinary system 
Mrs Chen was from China and came to England for a short visit. Maybe due to the climate change, soon after arrived she caught a cold, then started running into the loo frequently to empty her bladder. She urgently needed the toilet and had a burning pain when passing water. She felt shivery and tired, and also had a nagging feeling in the stomach. According to the symptoms, I understood she was having a urinary tract infection in addition to a cold. I suggested she has some acupuncture. Altho...
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Acupuncture for Headaches - Case 2

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, October 8, 2012, In : Nervous system 
49-year-old June came to see me with a few aches and pains. One of them was headaches, which she'd had for many years, and it seemed to run in the family. She had heard some anecdotes about me for a few years but didn't make up her mind to come, because she couldn't believe sticking pins could work as a medical treatment. Recently may be due to menopause, her symptoms got worse. She started to have headaches almost every day, and her neck felt very stiff and achy. These made her feel tired al...
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Acupuncture for Headaches - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, October 1, 2012, In : Nervous system 
Lily, a 58 year-old psychotherapist, had suffered from headaches for 3 months and hadn't been able to work for 2 weeks. The pain was mainly in her temple area and gave her a heavy feeling on the top of her head. She was also having stiff neck and tingling sensation in both hands. Her sleep had been very bad and it made her feel tired all the time. Her doctor couldn't explain what caused it and prescribed some painkillers which didn't help much. For the acupuncture treatment, I used some point...
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Acupuncture for Frequent Urination in Prostate Cancer

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, September 25, 2012, In : Urinary system 

 Bill is a 67-year-old retired farmer. He had always been very healthy and strong until 2011, when he suddenly had a severe pain in his lower abdomen and was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The cancer had badly damaged his colon and an operation had to be carried out to remove part of it. To control cancer in the prostate, he’d been given injections, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Amazingly, all the treatments had gone well due to his strong constitution. But there had been a nuisance which...


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BBC news: Painkillers 'are the cause' of millions of headaches

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, In : News & research 
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) says that taking too many painkillers can make headaches worse, and acupuncture is recommended in patients susceptible to migraine and tension headaches.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19622016
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Acupuncture for Shingles - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, In : Dermatology 

Alan, 62yrs, had shingles for a month. On the back of his right thigh, there was a big patch of skin covered with dried, scabby blisters sitting on red spots. He was having a burning pain not only in the local area, but also on the inside of his right leg and buttocks, especially worse at night.  The pain was there all the time and any touch could trigger a strong, sharp pain that made him jump. The pain plus lack of sleep made him exhausted. I said to him, had he come sooner, he would have s...


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Acupuncture for Diarrhoea

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, September 3, 2012, In : Digestive system 

65 year-old George is a tall and extremely thin man, who’s always had a weak constitution. He first came to see me in 2008 when he was losing weight and having fatigue. After a few sessions of acupuncture he felt more energetic and put 12 lb’s weight back. In March 2011 he came to see me again for a problem of diarrhoea. For the last 8-9 months he’d had very loose bowels sometimes 2­-3 times a day. He was getting more and more worried as it went on and on, because he was too thin and...


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Acupuncture for Panic Attack

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, August 21, 2012, In : Nervous system 

Mr S is a 72-year-old retired farmer. He came to see me in Jan 2012 with a very peculiar complaint which had lasted for several months – sometimes he suddenly felt a wave coming into his body, and it gave him an electric shock in the head and arms.  He could also hear a terrible noise in his ears and have a strong panic feeling as if he was going to die. This attack could happen at any time and would only last for a few seconds, but this was bad enough. When it came, he had to stop every...


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Acupuncture for Back Pain - Case 2

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, August 10, 2012, In : Muscular-skeletal system 

76-year-old Mr Pearce had a fall in Feb 2012 when the weather was snowy. X-ray showed a crushed vertebra in his lower spine. He was having back pain all the time and had to take eight pain-killing tablets a day, but still didn't get relief. He limped into my clinic with a stick and said:”This pain is dreadful. I would do anything to get some relief.” I put four needles into his back and did some manipulation until he felt an electric sensation going down the legs, then used a machine to s...


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Acupuncture for Impotence

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, August 6, 2012, In : Reproductive system 

50-year-old John came to see me with a problem of impotence. He said he had always been fit until two years ago when he had myeloma in his spine. The tumour caused a pathological fracture in one of the vertebrae, and made him paralysed in bed for four months. Maybe because he had always been very sporty and having good constitution, after chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation he made an incredibly good recovery from the brink of death. Though his energy level was not as good as before,...


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Acupuncture for Neck Pain - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, July 17, 2012, In : Muscular-skeletal system 

Yvonne first came to see me in 2006, when she was having a pain in her neck. The pain came without any known reason. It was excruciating and travelling down to her left arm. She couldn't move her head and couldn't sleep well either. This made the 47 year-old lady burst into tears when she was telling me the symptoms. According to what I found in the examination I reckoned it was a muscle spasm, and four points in her neck, shoulder and arm were selected for acupuncture. After half an hour's t...


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Acupuncture for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Related Infertility - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, In : Reproductive system 

Anne, a 29-year-old educational consultant, was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) three years ago. She had irregular menstrual cycle, which was between 2-8 weeks. Her periods would start with black and clotty bleeding then became very heavy with bright red colour, always accompanied with abdominal pain especially on the right side.  The PCOS also caused high blood sugar level, for which she had to take medication. What worried her more was that the hormone imbalance in PCOS wo...


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Acupuncture for Polymyalgia - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, June 15, 2012, In : Immune system 
66 year-old Paul had suffered from aches and pains all over his body for a long time. Two years ago he was diagnosed with polymyalgia and was given steroid to take. Though taking medication, he still had painful shoulders, back and thighs, and when it got worse his sleep could be interrupted and he felt very tired during the day. He also had hiatus hernia, which gave him stomach pain and acid reflux. He had tried different physiotherapies but none of them had helped much, and finally he was s...
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Acupuncture for Anus Pain

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, May 25, 2012, In : Nervous system 
Mr Place is a retired bricklayer. For the last 10 years he had been suffering from a very embarrassing problem - a sharp pain in his anus when he was in sitting position. None of the doctors he had seen could explain why he had it, but I thought it could be related with the strenuous physical work he had done in the past. As he was getting older, the symptom seemed to be gradually getting worse and he also felt really cold easily. For the acupuncture treatment, I used a few points in his lowe...
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News: House Of Commons Talk Pinpoints Acupuncture As A Cost-Effective Solution For The NHS

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, May 14, 2012, In : News & research 

Please read the press release shown below for more information.
http://www.health4media.com/uk/pressrelease_listing.php?co=3743


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Acupuncture for Oligomenorrhoea - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, April 25, 2012, In : Reproductive system 

26-year-old Katrina had been on contraceptive pills for a number of years until 2010, when she wanted to start a family. But after stop taking the pills she only had two irregular periods in a whole year, which made the conception impossible. One of her friends who had successful fertility treatment from me suggested she come to try acupuncture. Apart from the period problem, Katrina's general health was very good, so I decided to give her a simple treatment and only four acupuncture points o...


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Acupuncture for Ear Infection - Case 2

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, April 17, 2012, In : E.N.T. 

31 year-old Harvest had an infection in her right ear after a bad cold. Before coming to see me, she'd had antibiotics and homeopathic remedy for 2 weeks but still had pain and ringing in the ear, and her hearing on that side was deteriorating. It was her parents who persuaded her to try acupuncture. I used a few points in her neck, head and hand in the first session, and surprisingly her hearing improved right after the treatment. Her ear pain was dramatically easier the next day, and she wa...


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Acupuncture for Trigeminal Neuralgia - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, In : Nervous system 
I met Mrs Howard when I was working in a GP's surgery in Carlisle in 2002. This 67-year-old lady had had trigeminal neuralgia for 3 months and been seeing her doctor at the surgery. She was having a sharp pain in her right jaw and it was so bad that any touch to the inside or outside of her mouth could trigger it. Eating, drinking, brushing teeth and washing face were all agony even cold wind could make it worse. As the strong pain killers prescribed by the doctor weren't helping much, she de...
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Acupuncture for Cough - Typical Case

Posted by Peng Zhang on Friday, January 6, 2012, In : Respiratory system 

Angela started having a bad cough one and a half years ago. She also had breathlessness and often brought up phlegm. The symptoms were worse when she went upstairs or rushed around. These made 35 year-old her feel like an old lady. X-ray and blood tests didn't show anything positive so the doctor couldn’t make a diagnosis. She had been given antibiotics and several other medications, which didn’t help. Recently she had been trying homeopathic remedy and it didn’t seem to be helpful eith...


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Acupuncture for Sciatica - Case 2

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, December 6, 2011, In : Nervous system 
79 year-old Jean got out of bed one morning with a terrible pain from the right hip down to her right knee and shin. It came without any reason and was so intense that she could hardly move. She went to see the doctor and was asked to take 16 tablets each day. Unfortunately she felt sick, dizzy and sleepy after taking them, and the pain didn't get any better. She had been in agony for 3 weeks before coming to my clinic. It was her daughter who benefitted from my treatment in the past persuade...
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News: Chinese Medicine and Infertility

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, November 29, 2011, In : Herbal medicine 
UK media Daily Mail published an article today titled as "Chinese medicine
could double the chances of childless couples conceiving".

Please click the link to read the article online:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2066254/Chinese-medicine-double-chances-childless-couples-conceiving.html
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Acupuncture for Achilles Tendonitis - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, November 24, 2011, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
52-year-old secretary Melanie came to see me in 2004 with a pain in her left achilles tendon (achillodynia). She got it without known reason, and it had lasted for 10 months. The pain was constant and even bothering her at night. She was going on holiday soon and desperate to get some relief. I inserted 4 needles in her calf and ankle, and also used moxabustion. After the first treatment, she felt a relief instantly and had 4 good days before the pain came back again but a lot less. After the...
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Acupuncture for Palindromic Rheumatism - Case 2

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, November 23, 2011, In : Immune system 
Ian, a 39 year-old ecologist, had recurrent joint pain without any reason for half a year. The pain moved round and could be in any joints such as hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips and knees, sometimes accompanied with swelling. The bottom of his feet also hurt, and his body felt cold easily. He had been to see specialists and was diagnosed with "palindromic rheumatism" - a form of an autoimmune disorder with unknown cause. Ian became very depressed when he found out this was a tricky co...
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Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, November 22, 2011, In : Nervous system 
44 year-old Annette is a cleaner. She had pain all over her body for 10 years. None of the various medications she'd tried could give her any relief. Two months ago she went to see a consultant and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The new medication she had been taking since then made her put 2 stones of weight on, which really upset her. She still had pain in the back, hips, arms and feet. She felt tired and cold, and had bad sleep. For over a year, her periods had been very irregular and ve...
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Acupuncture For Endometriosis - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, November 16, 2011, In : Reproductive system 

35-year-old Lisa had endometriosis since she was 20. She received two operations and hormone treatment in the past but none of them helped much. Her periods were always delayed and very heavy, and the blood was dark and clotty. The pain in her lower abdomen and back would start from the middle of the menstrual cycle and get worse two days before the period. The pain was so intense and pain killers didn't work. She always felt headachy, sick and lethargic, and also had bloating stomach, cons...


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Acupuncture for Sciatic Pain - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, November 14, 2011, In : Nervous system 

Valery is a 58-year-old housewife. She had a sciatic pain on and off for about 12 years, and x-ray showed a slipped disc in her lower spine. A few months ago she had a fall, which made the pain a lot worse, even walking became a problem. The pain was from the lower back through the left thigh all the way down to her left foot. When she first came to my clinic, climbing up the stairs was a real struggle. After the first session of acupuncture, she could already walk better and climb up the sta...


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Acupuncture for Skin Rash - Case

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, In : Dermatology 

22 year-old Holly had a rash on her face for a month. It all started when she was having holiday in Canada. In the past she had occasionally had some itchy patches on her elbows and left leg, but never on her face. Now her cheeks and forehead were covered with some pinkish rash, and the skin looked flaky. Her face felt hot and itchy. She didn't know whether it was the food or something in the air in Canada caused it. She'd been to see doctors both in Canada and back in England and tried diffe...


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Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, November 8, 2011, In : Muscular-skeletal system 

80-year-old Mrs Young had painful knees for about 10 years. X-ray showed both her knees had osteoarthritis. She'd tried different medications, but the pain gradually got worse, even spread to her calves and shins. She'd become so annoyed because she started to have difficulty with walking properly. Due to degeneration, both her knee joints looked bulging. At first she was very reluctant to come for acupuncture because she couldn't understand how it works. It was her husband who benefited from...


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Acupuncture for Palpitations

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, November 3, 2011, In : Circulatory system 

Karen, a 38 year-old estate agent, had intermittent palpitations for a number of years. Though sometimes she could feel the fast and irregular heartbeat herself, no obvious heart problems had been caught by the Electrocardiograph examination. The palpitations often came when she felt tired and stressed, and was accompanied with short breath, hot flushes and lethargy. She had a lot of night sweats which could be so bad that she had to change her pajamas and bed sheets. The left side of her bac...


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Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine for Crohn's Disease

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, November 2, 2011, In : Immune system 

Neila 54 year-old teacher had Crohns disease for more than 30 years. This is a chronic inflammatory disease in the digestive system, typically the lower part of the small intestine (ileum) or the large intestine (colon). The cause of it is unknown, and according to modern medicine, there’s no cure. Treatment for this disease is always very tricky. Twenty years ago Neil had the worst time for it, and the doctors had to do an operation to remove the damaged part of his intestines. Over ...


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Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine for Cancer - Case Study

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, November 1, 2011, In : Digestive system 

Mr B, 59 yrs, education consultant. His first visit was in Feb 2007. The patient’s main complaint was having an abdominal ache which started in May last year. The ache often set off after food. His bowel motions had been increasing from normally once every day to 3-4 times a day, but the stools were soft and well formed. His appetite was normal. He didn’t have any tired feeling. He’d always had light sleep during the night, and recently it seemed to take longer to fall to sleep. Mr B su...


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Acupuncture for Kidney Stones - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Monday, October 31, 2011, In : Urinary system 
When 42-year-old Michelle came to see me in 2010, she hadn't been feeling well for 6 weeks. She had to urinate frequently and had a burning sensation in the urethra. Her back was aching a lot, and she was feeling tired. Some days when it got worse, she was feverish and headachy. In the last few days she noticed some blood in her urine. To me it sounded like a problem of kidney stones. So I decided to use acupuncture to alleviate the symptoms, and also asked her to go to see her GP for an exam...
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Acupuncture for Recurrent Miscarriages

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, October 27, 2011, In : Reproductive system 

When Sonya came to see me in 2006, she was a mother of two children. She and her husband then wanted to have a third child, but this time it wasn't easy. In the last one and a half years, she'd had three miscarriages, which all happened in about week 11, and the last one just happened 2 months ago. Sonya also had type I diabetes and had been on insulin for many years. According to her history and clinical manifestations, I believed her problem was deficiency of Qi and blood, and the princip...


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Acupuncture for Pulmonary Oedema - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Tuesday, October 25, 2011, In : Circulatory system 

My friend Colin is 82 years old and lives on his own. He had a heart attack during Christmas in 2010 and was kept in hospital for a week, diagnosed with myocardial infarction. Since then he sometimes had short breath and mostly it could ease off itself. But one night in October, he had a more severe one which made him very panicky, so he phoned me to ask for help. When I got to his house, he had just called the ambulance. He was sitting on the bed side panting. His chest was full of bubbling ...


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Modern Research on Acupunture for Back Pain

Posted by Peng Zhang on Sunday, October 23, 2011, In : Muscular-skeletal system 
Many studies in recent years have shown that acupuncture is more effective than conventional treatments for lower back pain, though some researchers concluded that it's just a placebo effect - no more effective than sham acupuncture which doesn't penetrate the skin or places the needles in random points. I admit the existence of placebo effect, but the question is, to what extent it works? Can it work as well as real acupuncture does? In some studies, acupuncture was delivered for quite a lon...
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Acupuncture for Enlarged Prostate (Prostatic Hyperplasia)

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, October 20, 2011, In : Urinary system 

When Keith first came to see me, he was asking for herbal medicine for his prostate problem. He was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate two years ago. He kept frequently and urgently passing water, but couldn’t pass it out completely. He always felt some discomfort in the lower abdomen. Apart from this, he also had aches in the sole of his feet, and none of the various treatments he’d tried could help. Regarding the prostate condition, I said to him that acupuncture should work more qu...


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Acupuncture for Stomach Pain (gastritis) - Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Thursday, October 20, 2011, In : Digestive system 

59 year-old Mrs Jackson came from Scotland. Her complaint was a stomach pain for 15 years. She often felt bloated in the stomach and belched a lot. The symptoms seemed had started after she took a lot of antibiotics for an infection many years ago. Her doctor said it was gastritis and prescribed various medications, but none of them could get rid of the symptoms completely. I gave her an electro-acupuncture treatment. The points I used were Zhong Wan in the abdomen, Liang Qiu in the legs, Ge ...


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Acupuncture for IVF - Typical Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, In : Reproductive system 
When Adina and her husband had their first child, everything went smoothly. But a few years later when they wanted a second one, it wasn't that easy this time. They tried for over a year but nothing happened. As she was 39 years old now, Adina reckoned that her reproductive ability was getting weak, so she and her husband decided to try IVF. But unfortunately, two consecutive IVF both failed soon after the embryos were put in. While waiting for the third IVF, Adina came to see me to look for ...
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Acupuncture For Back Pain - Typical Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, In : Muscular-skeletal system 

43-year-old Rudy is a paramedic. He was limping when he walked into my clinic. A few weeks ago he started having a back pain after lifting patients. It was so bad that he couldn’t walk properly. As a medical professional, he had tried everything he could get - taking pain killers, having physiotherapy and even injections, but none of them worked. Feeling sick of it, he decided to come to the Lake District for a holiday. Wandering in the town centre of Penrith, he noticed my clinic and promp...


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Acupuncture for infertility - Typical Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, In : Reproductive system 

A few years ago, after trying to conceive for 13 months, Kerry finally was pregnant. But unfortunately, a miscarriage happened in week thirteen of her pregnancy. From then on, she couldn’t conceive again. Both she and her husband went for thorough examinations and nothing was found abnormal. As Kerry was nearly 40 years old, she thought there was not much chance left, so they tried IVF, but it failed. Finally Kerry decided to try acupuncture. When she first came to see me, I was told that a...


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Acuncture for Ear Infection - Typical Case 1

Posted by Peng Zhang on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, In : E.N.T. 

Bryan had suffered from ear infection for 3 years. When had a flare-up, both of his ears would be very painful and soon blocked by ear wax, some fluid might come out. Since he was allergic to antibiotics, he could only use ear drops. Every time he had to use them for at least 2 weeks before feeling better then a relapse would come soon. The recurrent ear infection made this 33 year-old man feel generally unwell. His hearing started to deteriorate and his energy was so low that he felt like an...


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