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[Introduction]Insomnia and anxiety are major symptoms of depression and severely limit the daily activities of depressed patients. We report the case of a depressed patient who had developed liver dysfunction caused by medication and whose depression was successfully managed by acupuncture after discontinuation of antidepressants. <BR>[Case]A 37 years-old male had been taking noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (NaSSA) and Chai Fu Jia Long Gu Mu Li Tang Jia Wei Gui pi Tang for insomnia and anxiety due to depression. Although his symptoms had improved by the medication, abnormalities in his liver functions were found after 3months of medication. After he was diagnosed as having drug-induced liver damage, he was admitted to Meiji University's Integrative Medicine Hospital and all medication was replaced by Glycyrrhizin and Glutathione. Consequently his depression and symptoms returned. We then tried to relieve his symptoms by applying acupuncture, which was prescribed according to traditional Chinese medical diagnosis (TCM diagnosis, Heart Yin Deficiency , Liver Qi Stagnation , and Kidney Yin Deficiency ). <BR>[Results]After 4 acupuncture treatments, the patient's duration and depth of sleep considerably improved compared with that before the acupuncture sessions, and comparable results were maintained until discharge. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores were also markedly improved from 'moderate depression'(24 points) at the beginning of treatment to 'minimal depression'(8 points) at the end (9th treatment, 16 days from the first session).<BR>[Conclusion]The results of this case suggest that acupuncture treatment may be an effective alternative for anti-depressants when there is a limitation to administer those drugs.
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[Objective]Acupuncture has been described to be effective for acute vomiting induced by anti-cancer drugs of chemotherapy. However, the effect of acupuncture for the prolonged acute nausea that continues more than 24 hours from its onset after chemotherapy has not been satisfactorily investigated. In the present study, we report two cases of prolonged acute nausea induced by chemotherapy and effectively treated with acupuncture and moxibustion.<BR>[Case 1] 79-year-old male who had diagnosed as early adenocarcinoma of the lung had chemotherapy by anticancer drug under hospitalization after right lower lung lobectomy. In spite of administration of anti-emetic agents, he complained of mild but persistent nausea that developed within 24 hours after chemotherapy and continued more than 24 hours from onset. Acupuncture at PC6 (Neiguwan) and ST25 (Tianshu) with moxibustion at CV12 (Zhongwan) and ST25 (Tianshu) were performed in addition to anti-emetics. <BR>[Case 2] 64-year-old female who had undergone radiation therapy by gamma knife for metastatic brain tumors of adenocarcinoma of the lung had chemotherapy by anti-cancer drug under hospitalization. Since administration of anti-emetics during the first period of chemotherapy was less effective, moxibustion at ST25 and CV12 in addition to anti-emetics was performed during the second period of chemotherapy. <BR>[Results]In both cases, the prolonged acute nausea was improved showing significant decrease in the VAS immediately after the treatment of acupuncture. <BR>[Discussion]Severe nausea and vomiting might have been suppressed by anti-emetic agents, but mild acute nausea was prolonged and persisted. Prolonged acute nausea caused poor appetite and deterioration of Quality of Life (QOL) of patients in two cases.<BR>Acupuncture with moxibustion and moxibustion could improve prolonged acute nausea and its related symptoms. These results of acupuncture with moxibustion and moxibustion suggest that acupuncture and moxibustion are useful treatment for prolonged acute nausea induced by chemotherapy and can be applied as complementary medicine to patients receiving anti-cancer chemotherapy.
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[Aim] Diffuse pan-bronchiolitis (DPB) causes severe respiratory dysfunction and severely limits a patient's daily activities. Case: This paper reports a case of a DPB patient whose respiratory symptoms were successfully improved by acupuncture. In a case report in January 2002, a 62-year-old male visited the Department of Respiratory Internal Medicine at Gifu University Hospital, complaining of cough, pumlent sputum and dyspnea on exercise. His general condition had worsened despite ordinary medical treatment. Thus acupuncture was added to the treatment in August, 2001. Intervention: The patient received acupuncture treatments once a week for 50 weeks. The acupuncture treatment was based on the Chinese medicine theory. Measurements: Outcome measures were respiratory symptoms using the Fletcher-Hugh-Jones (F-H-J) classification, 6-minute walking distance (6 MWD), blood test, arterial blood gas and pulmonary function tests. Computed tomography (CT) was assessed. Each evaluation was done after 15 weeks and 50 weeks later.<br>[Results] After 15 weeks of acupuncture treatment, cough, pumlent sputum, walking distance, the Borg scale and respiratory function were significantly improved compared with the baseline. Moreover, the effect of the acupuncture treatment continued for 50 weeks.<br>[Conclusion] This suggests that acupuncture treatment was effective in treating the advanced case of DPB.
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[Aim] Acupuncture has traditionally been used in Japan in the treatment of bronchial asthma and is being increasingly applied. However, although there are many published studies on acupuncture and asthma, few meet the scientific criteria necessary to prove the effectiveness of acupuncture. Therefore, this study presents the clinical results of acupuncture treatment for adult bronchial asthma.<BR>[Design] Single-subject research design (N-of-1 method).<BR>[Setting] Department of Internal Medicine, Acupuncture and Moxibustion Center, Meiji University of Oriental Medicine, Japan.<BR>[Participants] Six patients of both genders (mean age, 49.0 years old) with moderate-to-severe persistent bronchial asthma.<BR>[Intervention] Six patients received 10 sessions of acupuncture treatment (once per week) for 10 weeks. The basic combination of meridian points for the treatment of the patients were LU 1 (Zhongfu), LU 5 (Chize), LU 9 (Taiyan), CV4 (Guanyuan), CV 12 (Zhongwan), BL 13 (Feishu), BL20 (Pishu) and BL23 (Shenshu).<BR>[Measurements] Primary outcome was the symptom of asthma at the end of the 10 treatment sessions. Secondary outcomes were the Dyspnea Visual Analogue Scale (DVAS), respiratory function, Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR), blood, the use of asthma drugs. The effect of the intervention on eosinophils in blood was assessed.<BR>[Main results] Late effects of asthma patients showed significantly better results compared with the base line on outcome measures after the 10 weeks. In this study, symptoms of asthma and dyspnea VAS in patients with asthma were significantly improved by acupuncture.<BR>[Conclusion] This study indicated that acupuncture was effective in asthma symptoms and respiratory functions.
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[Purpose] We report a case treated by acupuncture in a health care facility for the elderly to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on severe pulmonary emphysema.<BR>[Case and methods] A 88 year-old man visited Meiji University of Oriental Medicine Hospital with dyspnea in March 2000 and was diagnosed with pulmonary emphysema. He was hospitalized in October 2002 because his chronic respiratory failure was worsening : oxygen therapy was started. After discharge from hospital, he entered a health care facility for the elderly and acupuncture treatment for lumbago was initiated. Thereafter, acupuncture treatment for dyspnea and stiff shoulder started. He was determined to be grade V according to Fletcher-Hugh-Jones classification of dyspnea. Spirometry of the patient before acupuncture for dyspnea showed 88.0 % in %VC, 38.2 % in FEV 1 %, and 30 % in %FEV 1, and the patient was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of serious grade. Acupuncture treatment was performed once or twice a week, and acupuncture treatment for dyspnea was performed 21 times (total of 33 treatments).<BR>[Results] Subjective symptoms of lumbago, stagger of the legs, and shoulder stiffness were evaluated with Numerical Scale or Pain Scale. The state of dyspnea was evaluated with Numerical Scale and Borg Scale, and exercise tolerance was evaluated with 6 min of walking. After 33 acupuncture treatments, dyspnea on exertion, exercise tolerance, and the findings of spirometry were not improved. But dyspnea on rest had disappeared with improvement in lumbago, stagger of the legs, and shoulder stiffness. These results indicate that acupuncture as a general treatment is effective for the improvement of dyspnea, especially in elderly patients whose general state of health is not good because of restriction in their ability to exercise in the course of daily life due to dyspnea of exercise such as lumbago, stagger of the legs, and shoulder stiffness.
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[Background/aim] Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders, affecting more than 15 % of Western populations. It is characterized by a wide variety of persistent symptoms (abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating, transit disorders) without any clear organic causes. Because medical treatments are sometimes ineffective, some patients with IBS seek alternative therapies to manage the condition. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical effect of acupuncture treatment in patients with IBS.<BR>[Method] Four patients with IBS were treated with acupuncture according to the way of Traditional Chinese Medicine. We employed reversal single-case study design in which an acupuncture treatment period (“period B”) was alternated with no treatment period (“period A”). Ten or twenty times acupuncture therapies were performed during the “period B” and the length of the “period A” was comparable with the “period B” GSRS, frequency of defecation, softness of the stool, intensity of abdominal pain or abdominal fullness, and POMS were recorded over the periods.<BR>[Results] During the “period B”, three patients showed a remarkable improvement in lower abdominal pain, abdominal fullness and QOL evaluated with GSRS, while the psychological condition evaluated with POMS showed inconsistent changes without a remarkable improvement.<BR>[Conclusion] The result of our study indicated that acupuncture might be useful for the management of IBS.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes severe respiratory dysfunction and severely limits patients' daily activities. We report a case of the patient with COPD whose respiratory symptoms were successfully improved by acupuncture. A 70-year-old man visited Meiji University of Oriental Medicine Hospital complaining of dyspnea during exercise on _??_. Despite strictly controlled medication and a regimen of home oxygen therapy (HOT), his general condition continued to worsen. Then a series of acupuncture treatment was started on _??_. The severity of dyspnea of the patient before acupuncture treatment was determined as level V according to Hugh-Jones classification, and spirometry showed severely disturbed respiratory functions (%VC: 63.5%, FEV<sub>1</sub>%: 29.4%, PEFR: 84.8 1/min in the morning and 93.5 1/min at night). The basic combination of meridian points for the treatment of the case was LU1 (Zhongfu), CV12 (Zhongwan), CV4 (Guanyuan), LU5 (Chize), and BL13 (Feishu). The acupuncture needles were retained for ten minutes in each session. The single-subject research design (A-B-A method) was applied to detect the specific effect of the acupuncture treatment on the respiratory functions or the symptoms of the subject. “A” and “B” mean “treatment period” and “no treatment period” respectively. After 60 acupuncture treatments during a 14-month period, both the respiratory symptoms and the VAS for dyspnea showed improvement, which were specifically observed during the intervention period. Improvement was also reflected in the level of the Hugh-Jones classification and respiratory function test. It was suggested that acupuncture treatment might be effective for advanced cases of COPD.