Western acupuncture in a NHS general practice: anonymized 3-year patient feedback survey.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to observe the response to Western acupuncture performed in a National Health Service (NHS) general practice. Outcomes, patient experience, impact on conventional therapies, and appropriateness of acupuncture in general practice were assessed. DESIGN: An explanatory letter and questionnaire were sent to every patient in a 3-partner rural general practice regarding the acupuncture treatment they had received from the author over a period of 3 years. Completed questionnaires were returned anonymously to the Practice Manager to be collated. RESULTS: There were 194 surveys were posted; 71% were completed and returned to the Practice Manager. Demographics of patients treated with acupuncture demonstrate that it was administered to patients of all age groups, with the majority on the 40-80-year age span, and female-to-male ratio of 64%:36%, respectively. Following the course of acupuncture, 75% of patients surveyed noted an improvement in their presenting condition; 24% noted no change. Those who benefited from the treatment reported the improvement as complete (26%) or major (38%). Seventy-two percent (72%) of patients judged their "quality of life" to be improved. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of patients stated a reduction or cessation of painkillers and/or anti-inflammatory drugs. Fifty-seven percent (57%) thought that referral to hospital specialist or physiotherapist was avoided as a result of the acupuncture treatment. Twenty-three percent (23%) of patients found acupuncture to be painful; of those, 60% said the pain was only mild. Seventy-two percent (72%) of patients were treated within 1 week of being seen by the general practitioner (GP); the majority (81%) of patients had between one and three treatments. Patient opinion on interval time between GP consultation and treatment, as well as appropriateness of acupuncture in the general practice setting, was extremely favorable. CONCLUSIONS: This survey demonstrates the application of Western acupuncture within a NHS general practice administered by an individual GP. The patients' response scores from an anonymized questionnaire showed beneficial outcomes from acupuncture; patients also perceived that the treatment negated secondary care referral and reduction or cessation of pain-relieving medication.

Vibrational overtone spectroscopy of phenol and its deuterated isotopomers.

We have measured the OH- and OD-stretching fundamental and overtone spectra of phenol and its deuterated isotopomers under jet-cooled conditions using nonresonant ionization detection spectroscopy and vapor-phase infrared (IR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectra at room temperature using conventional and photoacoustic spectroscopy. The OH- and OD-stretching bands in the jet-cooled spectra are about 1-10 cm(-1) wide and generally show a few Lorentzian shaped peaks. The bands in the room-temperature spectra have widths of 20-30 cm(-1) and display clear rotational profiles. The band profiles in the jet-cooled spectra arise mostly from nonstatistical intramolecular vibrational redistribution (IVR) with specific coupling to "doorway" states, which are likely to involve CH- and CD-stretching vibrations. The transition dipole moment that determines the rotational structure is found to rotate significantly from the fundamental to the third overtone and is not directed along the OH(D) bond. We use these calculated transition dipole moments to simulate the rotational structure. We determine the rotational temperature in the jet-cooled spectra to be about 0.5 K. Anharmonic oscillator local mode calculations of frequencies and intensities of the OH- and OD-stretching transitions are compared with our measured results. The calculated intensities are in good agreement with the absolute intensities obtained from conventional spectroscopy and with the relative intensities obtained from the room-temperature laser spectroscopy.

Absolute intensities of CH stretching overtones in alkenes.

We have measured the CH stretching vibrational spectrum of ethene gas in the regions corresponding to 1-5 quanta in the CH stretching vibration with Fourier transform infrared and conventional absorption spectroscopy and have determined the corresponding oscillator strengths. We have calculated the CH stretching vibrational oscillator strengths for a series of alkenes: ethene, propene, 1,3-butadiene, cis-2-butene, and trans-2-butene. The CH stretching intensities are calculated with a simple Morse oscillator local mode model for CH groups and with the harmonically coupled anharmonic oscillator local mode model for CH2 and CH3 groups. The local mode parameters, frequencies, and anharmonicities are obtained from experiments. The harmonic coupling coefficients and the dipole moment functions are calculated with a range of ab initio methods. These include self-consistent-field Hartree-Fock, density functional, correlated, and multireference theories, combined with basis sets ranging from double- to quadruple-zeta quality augmented with polarization and diffuse functions. Variation in calculated oscillator strengths with the choice of ab initio method is systematically studied and compared with observed intensities. From this comparison between the calculated and observed values, we can quantitatively understand the relative usefulness of various ab initio dipole moment functions in calculations of vibrational oscillator strength for alkenes.

Infrared identification of matrix isolated H2O.O2.

Theoretical studies of the H2O.O2 complex have been carried out over the past decade, but the complex has not previously been experimentally identified. We have assigned IR vibrations from an H2O.O2 complex in an inert rare gas matrix. This identification is based upon theoretical calculations and concentration dependent behavior of absorption bands observed upon co-deposition of H2O and O2 in argon matrixes at 11.5 +/- 0.5 K. To aid assignment, we have used a harmonically coupled anharmonic oscillator local mode model with an ab initio calculated dipole moment function to calculate the OH-stretching and HOH-bending frequencies and intensities in the complex. The high abundance of H2O and O2 makes the H2O.O2 complex likely to be significant in atmospheric and astrophysical chemistry.