Acupuncture does not appear to help in stroke recovery, reveals a new study.
Acupuncture is often used to supplement traditional stroke rehabilitation, although its effectiveness is uncertain.
Stroke
Stroke can cause permanent disability and it is important to recognize its early warning signs to stop its progress. Early warning signs of stroke include sudden weakness of facial muscles.
Advertisement
This study, perhaps the most comprehensive to date as it includes trials published in English language and Asian journals, was a systematic review conducted by researchers in South Korea and the United Kingdom.
They included 10 studies (out of a potential 664) with a total of 711 patients who had had strokes.
"Few randomized, sham-controlled trials have tested the effectiveness of acupuncture during stroke rehabilitation," wrote Dr. Edzard Ernst, Peninsula Medical School, Exeter, England with coauthors.
![Stroke - Top Ten Facts]( "Stroke - Top Ten Facts")
Stroke is the third most common cause of death and the most prominent cause of physical deformity in the world
"The majority of the existing studies do not suggest that acupuncture is effective," he said.
They note that the only two studies showing positive effect were highly biased and had poor reporting which made them less reliable that the others included.
The authors conclude "the evidence from rigorous studies testing the effectiveness of acupuncture during stroke rehabilitation is negative."
However, Dr. Hongmei Wu of West China Hospital, Sichuan University in Chengdu, China wrote "the negative effects of true acupuncture for stroke recovery based on the systematic review of sham-controlled trials by Jae Cheol Kong and colleagues should be interpreted cautiously."
She cautions that the study included several weaknesses, such as many of the included studies had small samples sizes and that the quality of acupuncture, which varied in the papers, is related to effectiveness.
Dr. Wu calls for large, rigorous, well-designed trials to better understand the effects of acupuncture and stroke recovery.
The new study was published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Source: ANI
"Few randomized, sham-controlled trials have tested the effectiveness of acupuncture during stroke rehabilitation," wrote Dr. Edzard Ernst, Peninsula Medical School, Exeter, England with coauthors.
Stroke - Top Ten Facts
Stroke is the third most common cause of death and the most prominent cause of physical deformity in the world
Advertisement
"The majority of the existing studies do not suggest that acupuncture is effective," he said.
They note that the only two studies showing positive effect were highly biased and had poor reporting which made them less reliable that the others included.
The authors conclude "the evidence from rigorous studies testing the effectiveness of acupuncture during stroke rehabilitation is negative."
However, Dr. Hongmei Wu of West China Hospital, Sichuan University in Chengdu, China wrote "the negative effects of true acupuncture for stroke recovery based on the systematic review of sham-controlled trials by Jae Cheol Kong and colleagues should be interpreted cautiously."
She cautions that the study included several weaknesses, such as many of the included studies had small samples sizes and that the quality of acupuncture, which varied in the papers, is related to effectiveness.
Dr. Wu calls for large, rigorous, well-designed trials to better understand the effects of acupuncture and stroke recovery.
The new study was published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Source: ANI
Acupuncture
Medindia explains in brief about acupuncture the traditional chinese method for treating various ailments
Advertisement
 Brain Stimulation Revives Stroke PatientsStroke patients who had become partially paralyzed found their condition improving when they underwent a non-invasive method of brain stimulation, scientists claimed in their study. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Clinical Trials News
Scientists devise a fully integrated autonomous wearable ultrasonic-system-on-patch to sense deep tissue vital signs wirelessly even when the patient is on the move.
Combination of chemotherapy drugs was found to show promising results in patients with pancreatic cancer.
A new clinical trial is testing the safety, tolerability, and processing in the body of drug product HOPO 14-1 that removes radioactive contamination in healthy adults.
Researchers measure and compare the light focusing characteristics of different lenses used to slow myopia (nearsightedness) progression, which could prevent visual decline.
Using artificial intelligence, researchers from integrated biosciences have identified three senolytics with superior efficacy and drug-like properties relative to other compounds.