Blog Arasys Perfector - Xanya Sofra Weiss

Edward L. Paul, Jr., O.D., Ph.D

From May 2001 to November 2002, 94 eyes diagnosed with typically untreatable retinal diseases including age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardtís were treated with an integrated treatment protocol employing micro current electrical stimulation and nutritional supplementation. Overall, 68% showed a marked increase in vision function and visual acuity following therapy. The success rate in age-related macular degeneration was 72% (26 out of 36 eyes), in retinitis pigmentosa 53% (18 out of 34 eyes), and in Stargardtís 83% (20 out of 24 eyes). The average level of improvement was 2-3 lines as measured using the Snellen eye chart.

Background: Acupuncture point stimulation with both needles and transcutaneous microcurrent can be combined in the same treatment session. Microcurrent devices with feedback modulation characteristics offer theoretical advantages over those without them.
Objective: To describe the outcomes of patients treated with acupuncture and transcutaneous feedback-modulated microcurrent.
Design, Setting, and Patients: Four patients received treatment at a physician acupuncturist’s practice. Two patients had chronic limb pain, 1 had acute migraine headache, and 1 had chronic depression.
Intervention: A combination of acupuncture and acupuncture point stimulation with transcutaneous feedback-modulated microcurrent.
Main Outcome Measures: Patient reports of pain level, activity level, and use of medication.
Results: Chronic pain patients: 1 (disabled) patient had complete pain relief and returned to work, 1 experienced significant pain relief. The patient with acute headache had complete pain relief. The patient with depression was able to discontinue her medication.
Conclusions: Acupuncture point stimulation with a combination of needles and transcutaneous feedback-modulated microcurrent can be used to satisfactorily treat a variety of conditions.

Reena Rai, C. R. Srinivas; 2005

Iontophoresis is the process of increasing the penetration of drugs into the skin by application of an electric current. The drug is applied under an electrode of the same charge as the drug, and a return electrode opposite in charge to the drug is placed at a neutral site on the body surface. Electrical energy assists the movement of ions across the skin using the principle “like charges repel each other and opposite charges attract”. In this article, we discuss the mechanism, principles, factors influencing iontophoresis and its application for various dermatological conditions.

Anna Pyszora, Małgorzata Krajnik, Anna Adamczyk, Michał Graczyk, Jacek Budzynski, Zbigniew Zylicz, Małgorzata Łukowicz; 2007

Background and aims: Pain in musculoskeletal disorders is common medical problem, however frequently difficult to treat. That is why different methods of physical therapies have been tried with the controversial results. APS-therapy (Action Potential Simulation) falls under the broad definition of MET (Microcurrent Electrical Stimulation). MET may be a useful treatment for many pain-related disorders, providing fast relief of symptoms. The aim of this pilot clinical study was to investigate the analgesic efficacy of APStherapy in chronic pain due to musculoskeletal disorders.
Methods: The study involved 12 patients with musculoskeletal disorders who suffered from chronic pain. Each patient received treatment for 3 weeks’ time. APS-therapy was administered for a period of 16 minutes, 5 times a week. Treatment was given by portable unit, that generated an APS waveform (monophasic, pulse width 800 ms, frequency 150 Hz and intensity 0.5–1.5 mA). NRS (Numerical Rating Scale) evaluation was performed for 3 days of pre-treatment period, before each treatment which reflected the pain situation of the previous 24 h, and once daily for 2 weeks after treatment.
Results: The initial mean NRS in pre-treatment period was 5.53 (SD = 1.94), decreased after APS-therapy to 3.45 (SD = 1.4) (p = 0.002) and even more to 2.56 (SD = 1.23) in the post-treatment period (p = 0.0003). Mean pain intensity decreased significantly after 11 sessions and remained on the same level up to 2 weeks of post-treatment observation.
Conclusion: APS-therapy may be an effective method of nonpharmacological treatment of chronic pain in muscoskeletal disorders.

Yong-Suk Kim, Hyungjoon Jun, Younbyoung Chae, Hi-Joon Park, Bong Hyun Kim, Il-Moo Chang, Sung-keel Kangand Hye-Jung Lee; 2005

Acupuncture, one of the Oriental medical therapeutic techniques that can be traced back at least 2500 years, is growing in popularity all over the world. Korea has continued to develop its own unique tradition of medicine throughout its long history, and has formed different types of acupuncture methods. The purpose of this review is to summarize clinical case studies in acupuncture and related therapies, such as acupressure, electric acupuncture, auricular acupuncture and moxibustion in Korea. A survey of Korean journals revealed that a total of 124 studies were published from 1983 to 2001. Results obtained from the survey showed that most clinical studies using acupuncture, electric acupuncture, moxibustion and other traditional therapies could alleviate a relatively broad range of medical problems. However, it should be emphasized that almost all clinical case studies published in various local journals did not follow the ‘good clinical practice’ with respect to regulatory aspects. Since they were not conducted using the randomized double-blinded controls with a large sample size, all the results should be considered as therapeutic indications. This review is an attempt to show the scope of acupuncture in our country and the kind of diseases, after many years of clinical experience, that were deemed valid targets for clinical trials. (eCAM ;2(3)325–352 )

Denise McKee, MD, Kay Oring, PhD, Immaculada Aban, PhD, Marcia Lu, MD,Kathleen Peele, RN, Barbara Scott, mph

Background: Potential advantages of using auriculoacupuncture or auriculotherapy to treat facial acne vulgaris include reduced cost of therapy, lack of significant adverse effects, and better patient adherence and acceptance.
Objective: To examine the efficacy of using auriculoacupuncture and auriculotherapy for 20 weeks to treat acne in teenagers and young adults.
Design, Setting, and Patients: Male and female volunteers (aged 13-25 years) with grade I or II mild to moderate nonscarring facial acne were randomized to 1 of 4 groups: treatment needle (TN), control needle (CN), treatment electrical (TE), or control electrical (CE). Bilateral auricular points used for the 2 treatment groups (TN and TE) were Face Point, Skin Disorder Point F, Genital Control Point, Lung 1, Lung 2, Point Zero, Shen Men, Allergy Point, and Endocrine Point. Nine sham points on the fleshy portion of the auricular ridge were used for CN and CE groups.
Main Outcome Measure: Papule count change from baseline.
Results: On average, baseline papule counts of males (range, 32-50) were larger than those of females (range,12-18). The mean changes in papules for males were relatively greater. For females, the CN group had the highest mean baseline count and showed worsening over time as evidenced by an increase in the mean count over time, and mean change values generally below zero, i.e., counts were more than baseline. The other 3 groups continuously improved as shown by the downward trend in the mean papule counts, with the TN group showing the most improvement followed by the CE group. For males, all treatment groups showed improvement over time. The CE and TN groups had the highest baseline counts, but the CE group showed more improvement than did the TN. The CN group had the lowest mean count at the end of the study, but it also had the lowest baseline
count. The TE group had a baseline count slightly lower than that of CE and TN, but finished with the most improvement.
Conclusion: Both auriculoacupuncture and auriculotherapy appear to provide some promising therapeutic results in the treatment of adolescent mild to moderate acne vulgaris. Differences observed in therapeutic effect of the electrical stimulation vs needle stimulation may result from differences in the amount of energy delivered. Further study of this alternate treatment for acne is warranted.

M . Lewis , M . Johnson; 2003

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of therapeutic massage (TM) for the symptomatic relief of musculoskeletal pain, and to analyse TM intervention protocols used in studies.
Design: Systematic review of randomised controlled clinical trials and experimental studies on healthy human participants.
Participants: Patients with musculoskeletal pain and healthy participants with post-exercise pain and soreness. Main outcome measures Comparisons of TM with: (i) no treatment; (ii) sham interventions; and (iii) active (standard) treatment. Outcome was dichotomised as effective (TM>comparison group) or not effective (TM≤comparison group).
Results: Twenty studies (1341 participants) met the criteria for review. TM was superior to no treatment in five out of 10 comparisons, superior to sham (laser) treatment in one out of two comparisons, and superior to active treatment in seven out of 22 comparisons. TM was superior to comparison groups in six out of 11 studies using patients with musculoskeletal pain, and in three out of seven studies using patients with low back pain. TM was superior to comparison groups in four out of nine studies using healthy participants experiencing post-exercise pain and soreness. There were no relationships between study outcome and the TM regimen used.
Conclusions: The available evidence is inconclusive. A combination of inadequate sample sizes, low,methodological quality and insufficient TM dosing is likely to have contributed to the confused evidence base.

Jean-François Lesgards, Philippe Durand, Magali Lassarre, Pierre Stocker, Guy Lesgards, André Lanteaume, Michel Prost, Marie-Pascale Lehucher-Michel;  2002

Oxidative damage is increasingly recognized as playing an important role in the pathogenesis of several diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Using a biologic test based on whole blood resistance to free-radical aggression, we sought to evaluate lifestyle factors that may contribute to the normal variability of the overall antioxidant status. We assessed this global antiradical defense capacity in 88 men and 96 women in relation to information on lifestyle obtained by questionnaire. In our relatively young, healthy population, we found a weak negative relation between male sex or aging and the resistance to oxidant stress. Among the factors studied, nonsmoking, vitamin and/or mineral supplementation, and regular physical activity were closely associated with an increased overall antioxidant capacity. Conversely, the antioxidant potential was negatively related to tobacco smoking; psychologic stress; alcohol consumption; moderate vegetable, low fruit, and low fish consumption; and, to a lesser extent, high natural ultraviolet light exposure. Thus, we were able to determine “unhealthy” and “healthy” lifestyle patterns that truly contributed to the variation of individual antioxidant capacity. We conclude that lifestyle determinants of cancer and cardiovascular risks were associated with a decreased overall antioxidant status as dynamically measured by means of a biologic test. Thus, the evaluation of the total human resistance against free-radical aggression, taking into account nutritional habits, lifestyle, and environmental factors, may be useful in preventive medicine as a precocious diagnosis to identify healthy subjects who are at risk for free-radical–mediated diseases. (Environ Health Perspect 110:479–487 )

Joseph M. Mercola, Daniel L Kirsch;  1995

The use of electricity in medicine is not new. Clinicians used it over 150 years ago to treat nonunion bone fractures. Electomedicine and nutrition, abandoned early in this century, have been recently revived. Most physicians are unaware of their therapeutic benefits. Electrotherapy, especially micro current electrical therapy (MET) is useful for a variety of clinical conditions. Indeed, it may be the best treatment for many pain-related disorders, providing fast relief of symptoms and quickly promoting healing. It has significantly less side effects than drugs in chronic conditions. The more advanced MET devices can often demonstrate effectiveness with a simple two minute office procedure, allowing validity to be quickly assessed.