Acupuncture as a Treatment for Autism: New Research

Even more research results have been coming in regarding the positive effects of using acupuncture as a treatment for autism. 

New research concludes that scalp acupuncture “can significantly improve the efficacy on autism, effectively relieve child autism symptoms and enhance the intelligence, language ability and social adaptive ability.”¹ Keeping in mind that this quote is a literal translation from the Chinese language, this study does not claim that acupuncture cures autism but finds that scalp acupuncture helps to improve the patient's symptoms when part of a comprehensive treatment program. Seventy causes of child autism were divided into a control group (40 cases) and an observation group (30 cases). The control group received only music therapy and the structure education method. The observation group received scalp acupuncture in addition to the therapies given to the control group. After 60 acupuncture treatments, the improvement scores were tabulated using the Clancy Autism Behavior Scale, Childhood Autism Behavior Scale (CARS), Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and Gesell Developmental Scale. The study finds that age was not a factor noting that both the 4 to 6 years of age group improved and the 2 to 3 years of age group improved. The scalp acupuncture treatment priniciple used in the study was “regaining the consciousness and opening the orifice.” A similar study concluded that scalp acupuncture combined with language therapy “has a significantly positive effect on language development in children with autism.”²

Another study demonstrates that a session of 12 acupuncture visits using electro-acupuncture improves functions in children with autism.³ Electro-acupuncture caused improvements in language comprehension and self-care ability for the children in this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, clinical trial of acupuncture for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

In this study, electro-acupuncture caused significant improvements in social initiation, receptive language, motor skills, coordination, and attention span. Improvements in motor coordination include better writing ability. Participants were better able to write words within set lines and squares. One participant had significant improvements in swimming ability and improvements in paper cutting were also noted. Interesting motor improvements include better walking posture, speed of walking, and ability to ascend and descend stairs.

Over 70% of the children with ASD were compliant and adapted easily to the acupuncture therapy while 8% were not compliant. This was the first study ever conducted using electro-acupuncture for ASD using a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Subjects from ages 3-18 participated in the study and children who had been taking anti-epileptic drugs or who had recently had acupuncture were excluded from the study.

References:
1.
Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2011 Aug;31(8):692-6. Treatment of autism with scalp acupuncture. Li N, Jin BX, Li JL, Liu ZH. Neuro-Rehabilitation Department, Nanhai Women and Children Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of CM, Guangdong, China.

2.
J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Mar;14(2):109-14. Scalp acupuncture effect on language development in children with autism: a pilot study. Allam H, ElDine NG, Helmy G.

3.
Altern Med Rev. 2010 Jul;15(2):136-46. Randomized controlled trial of electro-acupuncture for autism spectrum disorder. Wong VC, Chen WX. Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

New Study: Practicing Qi Gong Helps Control Diabetes Symptoms.

In news that can apply to both massage therapist self-care and better health for the general population, a recent study indicates that practicing qi-gong helps control diabetes symptoms.

The study showed that people with elevated blood glucose levels who participated in 12 weeks of qi-gong mind-body therapy experienced a significant decrease in insulin resistance, along with reductions in weight and waist circumference, as well as improved leg strength.

The November issue of MASSAGE Magazine will feature a full report on the study, "Qi-Gong Mind-Body Therapy and Diabetes Control: A Randomized Controlled Trial."

European study: Mammograms don't effect breast cancer mortality.

Data recently made available from six European Countries shows findings that mammography screening has had no effect on breast cancer mortality.

from a recent NY Times Article: 

Researchers took advantage of a natural experiment in three pairs of countries. Some had instituted regular mammography screening significantly earlier than the others, but their health care systems and socioeconomic levels were nearly identical. The countries matched for comparison were Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; the Netherlands and Belgium; and Sweden and Norway.

The study, published online July 28 in the British medical journal BMJ, found that in all three cases, earlier implementation of screening had no effect on mortality. For example, in Northern Ireland, screening was introduced in the early 1990s, and by 1995, 75 percent of the women were getting mammograms. In the Republic of Ireland, screening was not introduced until 2000, and it was not until 2008 that 76 percent of the population was screened. Yet from 1989 to 2006, breast cancer mortality decreased by 29.6 percent in Northern Ireland and by 26.7 percent in Ireland.

“We were surprised and quite sad to find that breast cancer screening doesn’t work,” said Dr. Philippe Autier, the lead author. “We were expecting to find the reverse.”

Is Science Catching Up With Homeopathy?

Is Science Catching Up with Homeopathy?

 Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, formulated the law of similars which dictates that preparations which cause certain symptoms in healthy individuals if given in diluted form to patients exhibiting similar symptoms will cure it.

 

 Highly diluted natural complexes prepared according to Hahnemann’s ancient techniques may represent a new form of immunomodulatory therapy, which is a complicated way of saying that homeopathic remedies might be scientifically proven to have the ability to alter or regulate one or more immune functions.

 

 The lack of scientific research with highly diluted products led a team of scientists from South America and Europe to investigate the in vivo (“within the living,” or within the whole, living organism) and in vitro (“within the glass,” or within a controlled environment) actions of commonly used homeopathic remedies, 200c preparations of Mercurius solubilis, Atropa Belladonna, Lachesis muta and Bryonia alba.

 

 The research, published in the International Journal of High Dilution Research, demonstrated that highly diluted medications act on immune cells activating macrophages and change the expression profile of hematopoietic lineage markers. They conclude by suggesting that highly diluted medications may have a potential therapeutic use in clinical applications in diseases were the immune system is affected and also as regenerative medicine by allowing the proliferation and differentiation of progenitor cells.

 

 The language is difficult for most lay readers but the results suggest that, with the help of tools like scanning electron microscopy, science might be ready to concede that homeopathy offers a powerful alternative that is much less expensive and much less toxic than traditional pharmacology.

For the abstract: 

http://www.feg.unesp.br/~ojs/index.php/ijhdr/article/view/440

PDF of results:

http://www.feg.unesp.br/~ojs/index.php/ijhdr/article/view/440/468

Homeopathy and Anthroposophic medicine benefit Healthy Aging

Homeopathy & Anthroposophic medicine benefit Healthy Aging*excerpt from Avilian.co.uk article; full story found in footer

"Old age is associated with chronic disease. During the period 2003–2007 more than 25% of the total Dutch population had a chronic disease, and 8% had more than one. Of those that were 65–74 years old, 50% had a chronic disease and of those 75 and over, 57.5%. Since chronic disease is associated with lower quality of life and higher healthcare related costs, it is very important, both for society and for the individual, to stay as healthy as possible into old age.1

In the last 150 years, modern Western medicine has achieved enormous success with its approach to fighting disease. This includes the fighting of disease-related organisms, cells and functions in the body; the reduction of disease-related symptoms; and the manipulation and/or substitution of non-functioning or dysfunctional parts of the body.

However, in the last decades, there has been a growing interest in the additional approach of ‘health promotion’ in both healthcare and society in general. One of the definitions of this approach is: ‘Health promotion is the process of enabling individuals, groups or societies to increase control over, and to improve their physical, mental, social and spiritual health.’ This could be achieved by creating environments and societies characterised by clear structures and empowering environments where people are able to identify their internal and external resources, use and reuse them to realise aspirations, to satisfy needs, to perceive meaningfulness and to change or cope with the environment in a health promoting manner. Within the health promotion approach, one can distinguish between preventative health promotion which aims at becoming more healthy and remaining healthy in order to prevent diseases; and curative health promotion.

Antibiotics and cytostatics are typical medicinal products of the fighting disease category. Homeopathic and anthroposophic medicines can be regarded as medicinal products within a curative health promotion approach. This approach aims at supporting and increasing the self-healing capacities of the human organism and the self-management of the person. Health promotion activities and therapies, both at the physical and the psychosocial/mental level, are thus hypothesised to improve the health status of people. This might result in healthy ageing with fewer chronic diseases and a reduction of health(care)-related costs.

Click to read more ...

Exercise Experts: "Spot Reduction Not Effective"

“Exercise equipment manufacturers mislead us with flashy infomercials showing beer bellies transforming into defined midriffs with the use of simple devices ... usually in just minutes a day,”

Well, the bad news is that "Spot Reduction" programs for exercise apparently have no real effect alone.

Aerobic exercises like bicycling, jogging or running are the best ways to lose body fat, Ball says. These exercises raise your heart rate and cause your body to draw from its fat storage for energy. This, and a sensible diet, will help shrink those problem spots over time.

Stephen Ball, University of Missouri Extension exercise physiologist, says sit-ups and crunches will tighten your abdominal muscles, but you will still have the same layer of fat sitting on top of those muscles.

Researchers have demonstrated that spot reduction leaves our spots unreduced. Although concentrating on arm lifts or calf raises will strengthen that particular body part, you’re not likely to lose fat in that area.

Although genetics plays a big role in our body types, Ball says men generally develop fat around their stomachs, and women develop fat around their hips, thighs and buttocks.

“The good news for women is lower body fat is not associated with an increased risk for heart disease, diabetes or other health issues. The bad news is it takes longer to lose lower body fat and is often the last place fat is lost,” Ball said.

For men, the fat around the stomach is easier to lose because the body readily uses it for energy. However, stomach fat is also associated with a higher risk of heart disease and other health problems.

Bottom line, there is no device or magic bullet for getting into shape. According to Ball, a combination of strength exercises, aerobic exercise and a sensible diet will, over time, put you on the road to health and fitness.

Milk Thistle extract fights effects of Hepatitis C: New Study

A laboratory study suggests that silymarin—an extract from the milk thistle plant—has multiple effects against the lifecycle of the hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C is a chronic (long lasting) disease that primarily affects the liver and is often difficult to cure. The laboratory study examined the antiviral properties and mechanisms of silymarin on cultured (grown in a lab) human liver cells infected with the virus. The study, funded in part by NCCAM, was published in the journal Hepatology.

The researchers grew human liver cells and infected them in vitro with the hepatitis C virus. The cells were then exposed to either standard hepatitis C drug treatment or to a diluted dose of silymarin. By analyzing the interactions between silymarin and the virus, the researchers observed that silymarin prevented the entry and fusion of the hepatitis C virus into the target liver cells. They also found that silymarin inhibited the ability of the virus to produce RNA (a chemical that plays an important role in protein synthesis and other chemical activities of the cell), interfering with a portion of the virus's lifecycle. When measured against untreated cells, silymarin also significantly decreased viral load (the amount of virus in the cells), although to a lesser degree than treatment with interferon did. The researchers also found that silymarin prevented the cell-to-cell spread of the virus.

These findings build on previous research of silymarin's antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties and provide more information about the potential mechanisms involved in silymarin's antiviral actions. Further research, particularly in clinical trials, is needed to determine if silymarin could be a safe and effective supplement for treating hepatitis C in humans.

Reference

• Wagoner J, Negash A, Kane OJ, et al. Multiple effects of silymarin on the hepatitis C virus lifecycle. Hepatology. 2010;51(6):1912–1921.

http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/061610.htm

Drug-Resistant Bacteria: To Humans From Farms via Food

 

Chickens, chicken meat and humans in the Netherlands are carrying identical, highly drug-resistant E. coli — resistance that is apparently moving from poultry raised with antibiotics, to humans, via food.

For anyone who thinks about these issues — anyone interested in sustainability, organics or small-scale farming, anyone working to combat foodborne disease — this may seem like a foregone conclusion. And it should. The first observation that giving antibiotics to animals spreads antibiotic-resistant bacteria to humans was made in 1976, and there has been a steady accumulation of evidence since. Nevertheless, the argument keeps being made that the connection is not water-tight , and that antibiotic use outside agriculture — in human medicine, perhaps — can be blamed for the vast rise in antibiotic resistance.

For those who don’t want to believe in this connection — and it is, at this point, a matter of belief much more than it is of evidence — this new paper too may not convince them. To me, though, it’s more good evidence that overuse of antibiotics in farming is a human-health threat. -Wired Magazine

A public-private team from the Netherlands (several universities and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) gathered samples of E. coli, the ubiquitous gut bug, from live poultry and from retail chicken meat. They looked for a particular resistance pattern: extended-spectrum beta-lactamase resistance, or ESBL.

ESBL is an emerging problem in human medicine. It tends to appear in Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli and also Klebsiella, species that cause hospital-acquired infections in vulnerable people such as ICU and burn patients. ESBL confers protection against whole families of drugs, starting with penicillin and extending to the later generations of cephalosporins, and leaves bacteria treatable by only one remaining small family of drugs, the carbapenems.

ESBL incidence has been rising steadily for the past two decades, even in countries in the European Union where human antibiotic use is strictly controlled by government policy — meaning there are not a lot of antibiotics washing around, exerting the selective pressure that drives the emergence of resistance.

Read more from the original article here:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/superbug/