Yin C, Seo B, Park HJ, Cho M, Jung W, Choue R, Kim C, Park HK, Lee H, Koh H.

Department of Acupuncture, CHA Biomedical Center, College of Medicine, Pochon CHA University, Seoul 135-081, Korea.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed effects of acupuncture as an add-on to conventional antihypertensive managements such as medication or lifestyle modification for hypertensive or pre-hypertensive subjects. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at Kyung Hee University Hospital. Forty-one hypertensive or pre-hypertensive (systolic BP> or =120 mmHg or diastolic BP> or =80 mmHg) volunteers were recruited and randomly assigned into real or sham acupuncture groups. The hypertensive subjects on antihypertensive medication continued their medication. Acupuncture point prescriptions were partially individualized, based on the Saam acupuncture theory. Park’s sham needle method was adopted for the sham procedure. Measurements were performed at baseline, weeks 4 and 8. BP, scales of overall health and pain, and anticipation or satisfaction for the treatments, were recorded. RESULTS: Thirty subjects completed the intervention, all of whom were on antihypertensive medication. The sham acupuncture group showed no significant change in mean BP, while the real acupuncture group showed a significant (p<0.01) decrease in mean BP after 8 weeks of intervention from 136.8/83.7 to 122.1/76.8 mmHg. Other factors showed no difference between the groups throughout the study. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture seems to offer an additional benefit to the treatment of hypertensive patients.

Publication Types:

• Clinical Trial
• Comparative Study
• Randomized Controlled Trial
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov’t

PMID: 17359649 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

Schur EA, Afari N, Furberg H, Olarte M, Goldberg J, Sullivan PF, Buchwald D.

Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA. ellschur@u.washington.edu

BACKGROUND: Considerable overlap in symptoms and disease comorbidity has been noted among medically unexplained and psychiatric conditions seen in the primary care setting, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, low back pain, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic tension headache, fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint disorder, major depression, panic attacks, and posttraumatic stress disorder. OBJECTIVE: To examine interrelationships among these 9 conditions. DESIGN: Using data from a cross-sectional survey, we described associations and used latent class analysis to investigate complex interrelationships. PARTICIPANTS: 3,982 twins from the University of Washington Twin Registry. MEASUREMENTS: Twins self-reported a doctor’s diagnosis of the conditions. RESULTS: Comorbidity among these 9 conditions far exceeded chance expectations; 31 of 36 associations were significant. Latent class analysis yielded a 4-class solution. Class I (2% prevalence) had high frequencies of each of the 9 conditions. Class II (8% prevalence) had high proportions of multiple psychiatric diagnoses. Class III (17% prevalence) participants reported high proportions of depression, low back pain, and headache. Participants in class IV (73% prevalence) were generally healthy. Class I participants had the poorest markers of health status. CONCLUSIONS: These results support theories suggesting that medically unexplained conditions share a common etiology. Understanding patterns of comorbidity can help clinicians care for challenging patients.

Publication Types:

• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

PMID: 17503107 [PubMed – in process]