Acupuncture for dry eye syndrome after refractive surgery
Dry eye syndrome is a frequent complication of refractive surgery. Acupuncture has been widely used to alleviate the associated symptoms. However, the use of acupuncture for patients who suffer from dry eye syndrome following refractive surgery has certain drawbacks. This pilot study aims to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture treatment in treating the signs and symptoms of dry eye syndrome after refractive surgery. Forty participants will be randomly assigned to the acupuncture plus usual care group or the usual care control group. The acupuncture plus usual care group will undergo treatments on seventeen acupuncture points, three times per week for four weeks. The control group will receive only usual care during the same period. The primary outcomes will be scores on the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and the results of examinations at 1, 3, 5, and 13 weeks.
The effects of acupuncture on chronic mild stress-induced memory loss
A previous study reported that the PC6 acupuncture point can alleviate chronic mild stress (CMS)-induced anxiety [17]. Following the previous study, this study examined the effects of the PC6 acupuncture point on CMS-induced memory loss. The memory storage and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity in the hippocampus were measured, respectively, using a passive avoidance test (PAT) and AchE immunohistochemistry. In the PAT (retention test), the CMS group showed a markedly lower latency time than the control.
A randomized clinical trial of acupuncture versus oral steroids for carpal tunnel syndrome
We prospectively followed up patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in our previous study for 1 year. A total of 77 consecutive patients with electrophysiologically confirmed mild-to-moderate idiopathic CTS were randomized and assigned into 2 treatment arms: 1) 2 weeks of prednisolone 20 mg daily followed by 2 weeks of prednisolone 10 mg daily (n = 39); and 2) acupuncture administered in 8 sessions over 4 weeks (n = 38). In the current study, the patients were further followed up at 7 and 13 months using Global symptom score (GSS) assessments and nerve conduction studies repeated again at 13 months.