An Evaluation of Electroacupuncture at the Weizhong Acupoint (BL-40) as a Means of Relieving Pain Induced by Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy.Chen WT, Chang FC, Chen YH, Lin JG.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. Epub July 23 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/592319. Electroacupuncture can help lessen pain for patients undergoing shock wave therapy for urinary system stones. A study by Chen et al. (2014), examined whether electroacupuncture could have an analgesic effect for 74 patients undergoing extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for urolithiasis. Results were published online in July 2014 in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Patients were divided into three groups, each of which received either electroacupuncture at 100 Hz at acupoint BL-40, sham electroacupuncture at BL-40 (no current applied), or no acupuncture prior to ESWL. Patients who received electroacupuncture or sham electroacupuncture took longer to ask for anesthesia, required less anesthesia, experienced less pain, took less time to recover after anesthesia, and reported greater satisfaction with anesthesia than patients in the control group. The authors write, “The study further supports the analgesia effect of electroacupuncture […] further study is warranted to explore which operations should be combined with which appropriate acupuncture point(s).” -- SAR members enjoy access to more in-depth research summaries. For access to the full summary and more, click here to learn more about the benefits of joining SAR. |