scholarly journals Effect of acupuncture on insomnia in menopausal women: A Study protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Ping Yin ◽  
Xuan Yin ◽  
Anna Bogachko ◽  
Tingting Liang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: China today has high occurrences of insomnia in perimenopausal women. Some studies have shown that acupuncture might be effective in treating primary insomnia and insomnia related to depression and stroke. Although there are some programs supporting insomnia during the menopausal transition, there are few randomized controlled trials to provide evidence regarding their effectiveness. We design a randomized controlled trial of suitable sample size to verify the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with insomnia during the menopausal transition and to form an optimized acupuncture treatment protocol. Method: In this randomized, single-site, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 84 eligible patients will be recruited and randomly assigned to either the acupuncture group (n = 42) or the sham control group (n = 42) in a 1:1 ratio. Participants will receive a total of 18 sessions of treatment for eight consecutive weeks. Treatments will be given three times per week in the first four weeks, twice a week for the next two weeks and finally treatment once weekly for the final two weeks. Treatment will utilize eight main acupoints (GV20, GV24, GV29, RN6, RN4, SP6, HT7, EX-HN22), and extra two acupoints based on syndrome differentiation. The primary outcome will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary outcomes will be measured by sleep parameters recorded in the Actigraphy (SE, TST, SA), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Menopause Quality of Life (Men-QOL). The primary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, week four, week eight, and first and the third month following the end of treatment. Discussion: If the results confirm that acupuncture is effective and safe for the treatment on insomnia in menopausal women, this positive outcome could provide evidence for clinical application. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800018645, Date: 2018-10-01. URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=31482. Keywords: Menopause; Insomnia; Acupuncture; Clinical trial.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Ping Yin ◽  
Xuan Yin ◽  
Anna Bogachko ◽  
Tingting Liang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: China today has high occurrences of insomnia in perimenopausal women. Some studies have shown that acupuncture might be effective in treating primary insomnia and insomnia related to depression and stroke. Although there are some programs supporting insomnia during the menopausal transition, there are few randomized controlled trials to provide evidence regarding their effectiveness. We design a randomized controlled trial of suitable sample size to verify the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with insomnia during the menopausal transition and to form an optimized acupuncture treatment protocol. Method/Design: In this randomized, single-site, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 84 eligible patients will be recruited and randomly assigned to either the acupuncture group (n = 42) or the sham control group (n = 42) in a 1:1 ratio. Participants will receive a total of 18 sessions of treatment for eight consecutive weeks. Treatments will be given three times per week in the first four weeks, twice a week for the next two weeks and finally treatment once weekly for the final two weeks. Treatment will utilize eight main acupoints (GV20, GV24, GV29, RN6, RN4, SP6, HT7, EX-HN22), and extra two acupoints based on syndrome differentiation. The primary outcome will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary outcomes will be measured by sleep parameters recorded in the Actigraphy (SE, TST, SA), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Menopause Quality of Life (Men-QOL). The primary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, week four, week eight, and first and the third month following the end of treatment. Discussion: If the results confirm that acupuncture is effective and safe for the treatment on insomnia in menopausal women, this positive outcome could provide evidence for clinical application.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Ping Yin ◽  
Xuan Yin ◽  
Anna Bogachko ◽  
Tingting Liang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background China today has high occurrences of insomnia in women experiencing menopausal transition. Some studies have shown that acupuncture might be effective in treating primary insomnia and insomnia related to depression and stroke. Although there are some programs supporting insomnia during the menopausal transition, there are few randomized controlled trials to provide evidence regarding their effectiveness. We design a randomized controlled trial of suitable sample size to verify the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with insomnia during the menopausal transition and to form an optimized acupuncture treatment protocol. Method/Design In this randomized, single-site, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 84 eligible patients will be recruited and randomly assigned to either the acupuncture group (n = 42) or the sham control group (n = 42) in 1:1 ratio. Participants will receive 18 sessions of treatment in total for eight consecutive weeks. Treatments will be given three times per week in the first four weeks and then twice a week for the next two weeks followed by once a week treatment for the final two weeks. Treatment will utilize eight main acupoints (GV20, GV24, GV29, RN6, RN4, SP6, HT7, EX-HN22), and extra two acupoints based on syndrome differentiation. The primary outcome will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary outcomes will be measured by sleep parameters recorded in the Actigraphy (SE, TST, SA), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Menopause Quality of Life (Men-QOL). The primary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, four-week, eight-week, and first and the third month after the end of treatment. Discussion If the results confirm that acupuncture is effective and safe for the treatment on insomnia in menopausal women, they could provide evidence for clinical application.


Author(s):  
Ronnie L. Shammas ◽  
Caitlin E. Marks ◽  
Gloria Broadwater ◽  
Elliot Le ◽  
Adam D. Glener ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Psychosocial distress, depression, or anxiety can occur in up to 50% of women after a breast cancer diagnosis and mastectomy. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential benefit of lavender oil as a perioperative adjunct to improve anxiety, depression, pain, and sleep in women undergoing microvascular breast reconstruction. Methods This was a prospective, single-blinded, randomized, controlled trial of 49 patients undergoing microvascular breast reconstruction. Patients were randomized to receive lavender oil or placebo (coconut oil) throughout their hospitalization. The effect of lavender oil on perioperative stress, anxiety, depression, sleep, and pain was measured using the hospital anxiety and depression scale, Richards–Campbell Sleep Questionnaire, and the visual analogue scale. Results Twenty-seven patients were assigned to the lavender group and 22 patients were assigned to the control group. No significant differences were seen in the perioperative setting between the groups with regard to anxiety (p = 0.82), depression (p = 0.21), sleep (p = 0.86), or pain (p = 0.30) scores. No adverse events (i.e., allergic reaction) were captured, and no significant differences in surgery-related complications were observed. When evaluating the entire cohort, postoperative anxiety scores were significantly lower than preoperative scores (p < 0.001), while depression scores were significantly higher postoperatively as compared with preoperatively (p = 0.005). Conclusion In the setting of microvascular breast reconstruction, lavender oil and aromatherapy had no significant adverse events or complications; however, there were no measurable advantages pertaining to metrics of depression, anxiety, sleep, or pain as compared with the control group.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shicheng Wang ◽  
Wensheng Wang ◽  
Long Shao ◽  
Jing Ling

Abstract Background Postoperative residual knee pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a significant factor that contributes to patient dissatisfaction. Patients with preoperative central sensitization (CS) may be more susceptible to unexplained chronic pain after TKA, and duloxetine has been reported to be effective in post-TKA pain control in patients with CS. However, there remains limited evidence to support this off-label use in routine clinical practice. Hence, we designed this randomized, placebo-controlled, triple-blind clinical trial to evaluate the effects of preoperative screening and targeted duloxetine treatment of CS on postoperative residual pain compared with the care-as-usual control group. Methods This randomized controlled trial includes patients with knee osteoarthritis on a waiting list for primary unilateral TKA. Patients with preoperative CS will be randomly allocated to the perioperative duloxetine treatment group (duloxetine group) or the care-as-usual control group (placebo group). Patients in the duloxetine group will receive a half-dose of preemptive duloxetine (30 mg/day) for a week before surgery and a full-dose of duloxetine (60 mg/day) for six weeks after surgery. The primary outcome is the intensity of residual pain at six months after TKA, including the visual analogue scale, 11-point numeric rating scale, the sensory dimension of the brief pain inventory, and the pain subscale of the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score. The secondary outcome measures will include the pain and function related outcomes. All of the patients will be followed up at one, three, and six months after surgery. All adverse events will be recorded and immediately reported to the primary investigator and ethics committee to decide if the patient needs to drop out from the trial. Discussion This clinical trial will convey the latest evidence of the efficacy and safety of the application of duloxetine in postoperative pain control in CS patients who are scheduled for TKA. The study results will be disseminated at national and international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (http://www.chictr.org.cn) registration number: ChiCTR2000031674. Registered 07 April 2020.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remi Yoshikata ◽  
Khin Zay Yar Myint ◽  
Hiroaki Ohta ◽  
Yoko Ishigaki

Abstract Introduction: Equol, an isoflavone derivative whose chemical structure is similar to estrogen, is considered as a potentially effective agent for relieving climacteric symptoms, for the prevention of the lifestyle-related diseases, and for aging care in post-menopausal women. We investigated the effect of an equol-containing supplement on metabolism and aging, and climacteric symptoms, with respect to internally-produced equol in post-menopausal women.Methods: A single center, randomized controlled trial (registration number: UMIN000030975) on 57 post-menopausal Japanese women (mean age: 56±5.37 years), was conducted. Twenty-seven women received the equol supplement, while the remaining received Control. Metabolic and aging-related biomarkers were compared before and after the 3-month intervention. Climacteric symptoms were assessed every month using a validated self-administered questionnaire in Japanese post-menopausal women. Results: Three months post intervention, the treatment group showed significant improvement in climacteric symptoms, when compared to the Control group (81% vs. 53% respectively, p=0.045). We did not observe any beneficial effect on metabolic and aging-related biomarkers in the intervention group. However, in certain populations significant improvement in skin auto-fluorescence, which is a measurement of AGE skin products, and visceral fat area was observed, especially among equol producers. Conclusion: Women receiving equol supplement showed improved climacteric symptoms. This study offered a new hypothesis that there may be a synergy between supplemented equol and endogenously-produced equol to improve skin aging and visceral fat in certain populations.


Author(s):  
Alfonso Javier Ibáñez-Vera ◽  
Jerónimo Carmelo García-Romero ◽  
José Ramón Alvero-Cruz ◽  
Rafael Lomas-Vega

Monopolar dielectric radiofrequency (MDR) is a non-invasive treatment for pain based on the local application of electromagnetic signals. The study’s goal was to analyze the effects of MDR on the symptoms of fibromyalgia. For this aim, a randomized controlled trial was conducted on 66 female participants (aged 47 ± 17.7) diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Participants were randomly allocated to either an experimental group (n = 23), which received eight 20-minute sessions of MDR; a sham group, which received the same number of sessions of a sham MDR therapy (n = 22); or a control group (n = 21), which received usual care. The outcome variables included pain measured by the visual analogue scale (VAS), score on the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and quality of life measured by the combined index of fibromyalgia severity (ICAF). A large effect size was observed for the local pain (R2 = 0.46), total ICAF (R2 = 0.42) and ICAF physical factor scores (R2 = 0.38). Significant mean differences were found for the local pain (p = 0.025) and ICAF physical factor (p = 0.031) scores of the experimental group in comparison with the sham group. No statistically significant differences between groups were found in HADS. In conclusion, MDR is more effective than either sham treatment or usual care in the short-term improvement of pain and the physical wellbeing of participants with fibromyalgia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-53
Author(s):  
Kaori Ichihara ◽  
Sayako Ouchi ◽  
Sachiko Okayama ◽  
Fukiko Kinoshita ◽  
Mitsunori Miyashita ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo obtain preliminary knowledge to design a randomized controlled trial to clarify the effects of spiritual care using the Spiritual Pain Assessment Sheet (SpiPas).MethodThe study was designed as a nonrandomized controlled trial. The study took place between January 2015 and July 2015 in a hematology and oncology ward and two palliative care units in Japan. Among 54 eligible patients with advanced cancer, 46 were recruited (24 in the control group vs. 22 in the intervention group). The intervention group received spiritual care using SpiPas and usual care; the control group received usual care. The primary outcome was the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual (FACIT-Sp). The secondary outcomes were the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Comprehensive Quality of Life Outcome (CoQoLo).ResultA total of 33 (72%) and 23 (50%) patients completed 2- and 3-week follow-up evaluations, respectively. The differences in the changes during 2 weeks in total scores of FACIT-Sp and HADS were significant (95% confidence intervals, 3.65, 14.4, p < 0.01; –11.2 to –1.09, p = .02, respectively). No significant changes were observed in the total score of CoQoLo.Significance of resultsSpiritual care using the SpiPas might be useful for improving patient spiritual well-being. This controlled clinical trial could be performed and a future clinical trial is promising if outcomes are obtained within 2 weeks.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 440-448
Author(s):  
Mojdeh Amirhosseini ◽  
Mahlagha Dehghan ◽  
Parvin Mangolian Shahrbabaki ◽  
Hamid Pakmanesh

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Postoperative pain, nausea, and vomiting are common side effects of percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Nowadays, non-pharmacological and complementary therapies have been noticed. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of lavender and clary sage on the pain, nausea, and vomiting after percutaneous nephrolithotomy. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This is a randomized clinical trial study on 79 patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Patients were randomly divided into three groups of lavender aromatherapy (<i>n</i> = 27), clary sage aromatherapy (<i>n</i> = 26), and a control group (<i>n</i> = 26). Each of the intervention groups received the inhalation aromatherapy immediately and 3 and 6 h after the operation. Pain, nausea, and emetic episodes in patients of the three groups were measured before the intervention and 30 min after each intervention using a visual analog scale and checklist. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Pain decreased significantly in the clary sage aromatherapy group. Nausea had a downward trend in the two groups of aromatherapy. The lavender aromatherapy group had the lowest incidence of emetic episodes compared to the other groups. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Regarding the annoying pain, nausea, and vomiting after percutaneous nephrolithotomy for patients, and taking into account the complications of drug therapy, the use of complementary non-pharmacological methods can help increase the comfort of patients.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jialei Feng ◽  
Yulan Ren ◽  
Yuhao Jin ◽  
Jiangqiong Meng ◽  
Qiming Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Obesity has become a multifactorial epidemic, affecting individuals, families, societies and countries. Abdominal obesity (AO) is the most harmful kind in obesity. Acupoint catgut embedding (ACE), one of an acupuncture therapy, has been widely used in China although it’s efficiency has not been tested by randomized controlled trial (RCT). The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the ACE on AO. Methods This is a blinding, RCT. A total of ninety-two patients who met the inclusion criteria for this trial will be enrolled from two independent hospitals and randomly assigned to shu-mu point group and non-acupoint group. ACE will be conducted once every two weeks, three times for one course. There will be a total of two courses in the whole treatment, and a follow-up will be performed in the fourth week after the end of treatment. The primary outcomes are weight and waist circumference (WC). The secondary outcomes are body mass index (BMI), hip circumference (HC), Quality of Life Scale (SF-36), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Discussion The results of this study will be obtained by RCT, and the outcomes will be analyzed to prove that ACE is effective and safe for AO. The results of this study will be derived from RCT. We expect that this experiment will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ACE for AO, and will also observe the changes in the physical conditions of patients before and after the treatment from the two groups.


Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Du ◽  
Yatong Li ◽  
Xianyun Fu ◽  
Chenjie Li ◽  
Lou Yanan

Abstract Background Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is one of the main gynecological complaints in women of child-bearing age, but limited effective treatments are available. Guizhi Fuling Wan (GFW), one of the most widely known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulations, has been commonly used in clinical practice to treat gynecological disorders in China. In recent years, a growing number of studies have shown that GFW is beneficial for patients with PD. However, the quality of evidence is limited, and there are few studies on specific TCM syndromes of GFW for PD. Therefore, we plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial to explore the efficacy and safety of GFW for PD patients with heat-burning blood-stasis syndrome. Methods and analysis The clinical study is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Eligible patients will be randomly assigned to the GFW group (treated with GFW) and the control group (treated with a matching placebo) in a 1:1 ratio for three menstrual cycles with a 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome will be the mean change of pain intensity measured by the visual analog scale (VAS). The secondary outcomes will include the Cox Menstrual Symptom Scale (CMSS), the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and the TCM syndrome scale. Adverse events will also be reported. Discussion This randomized trial will be the first rigorous study designed to assess the efficacy and safety of GFW in treating PD with heat-burning blood-stasis syndrome. The finding of this study will provide an objective clinical basis for the use of GFW for PD in the future. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000034118. Registered on 24 June 2020


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