4546 El Camino Real, B6
Los Altos, CA 94022
ph: 650 868 6632
XL
Acupuncture for Chronic Nonbacterial Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review.
Purpose: The objective of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment option for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Material and Methods: Eight databases were searched from their inception to October 2010. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were considered, if they tested acupuncture against any control intervention or no therapy in human with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. The selection of studies, data extraction, and validation were performed independently by two reviewers. The methodological quality of all included RCTs was assessed using Jadad scale. Studies of stimulation of acupoints other than by needles were excluded. Results: Nine RCTs met the inclusion criteria. They all suggested that acupuncture is effective as compared to a range of control interventions. Their methodological quality was variable, most were associated with major flaws. Only one RCT had a Jadad score of more than 3. Conclusions: The evidence that acupuncture is effective for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome is encouraging, but due to several caveats, not conclusive. Therefore, more rigorous studies seem warranted.
Posadzki P, Zhang J, Lee MS, Ernst E.
J Androl. 2011 Mar 24.
Acupuncture versus paroxetine for the treatment of premature ejaculation: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Acupuncture therapy has been used by many researchers in both male and female sexual dysfunction studies.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether acupuncture is effective as a premature ejaculation (PE) treatment compared with paroxetine and placebo.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted with methodologic rigor based on Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) criteria. Ninety patients referred to the urology clinic at a tertiary training and research hospital with PE were included in this randomized controlled trial and randomly assigned into paroxetine, acupuncture, and placebo groups. Heterosexual, sexually active men aged between 28 and 50 yr were included. Men with other sexual disorders, including erectile dysfunction; with chronic psychiatric or systemic diseases; with alcohol or substance abuse; or who used any medications were excluded.
INTERVENTION: The medicated group received paroxetine 20mg/d; the acupuncture or sham-acupuncture (placebo) groups were treated twice a week for 4 wk.
MEASUREMENTS: Intravaginal ejaculation latency times (IELTs) and the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) were used to assess PE. IELTs were calculated by using a partner-held stopwatch. Data were analyzed statistically.
RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Median PEDT scores of paroxetine, acupuncture, and placebo groups were 17.0, 16.0, and 15.5 before treatment, and 10.5, 11.0, and 16.0 after treatment, respectively (p=0.001, p=0.001, and p=0.314, respectively). Subscores after treatment were significantly lower than subscores before treatment in the paroxetine and acupuncture groups but remained the same in the placebo group. Significant differences were found between mean-rank IELTs of the paroxetine and placebo groups (p=0.001) and the acupuncture and placebo groups (p=0.001) after treatment. Increases of IELTs with paroxetine, acupuncture, and placebo acupuncture were 82.7, 65.7, and 33.1s, respectively. Extent of ejaculation delay induced by paroxetine was significantly higher than that of acupuncture (p=0.001). The most important limitation of the study was the lack of follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: Although less effective than daily paroxetine, acupuncture had a significant stronger ejaculation-delaying effect than placebo.
Eur Urol. 2011 May;59(5):765-71. Epub 2011 Jan 18. Sunay D, Sunay M, Aydoğmuş Y, Bağbancı S, Arslan H, Karabulut A, Emir L.
SourceMinistry of Health Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Department of Family Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Acupuncture in the treatment of psychogenic erectile dysfunction: first results of a prospective randomized placebo-controlled study.
Abstract
In a prospective study, we investigated the potentially curative effect of acupuncture in patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction (pED). A total of 22 patients with pED were randomized into two groups. They were either treated with acupuncture specific against ED (treatment group) or acupuncture specific against headache (placebo group). Nonresponders of the placebo group were crossed over to the treatment group. Prior to acupuncture, serum sexual hormone levels, IIEF score, nocturnal penile tumescence testing for three nights (Rigiscan) and the erectile response to 50 mg sildenafil were evaluated. Out of 21 patients, 20 completed the study, including 10 patients after crossover. A satisfactory response was achieved in 68.4% of the treatment group and in 9% of the placebo group (P=0.0017). Another 21.05% of the patients had improved erections, that is, sufficient rigidity under simultaneous treatment with 50 gm sildenafil. The results of our pilot study indicate that acupuncture can be an effective treatment option in more than two-thirds of patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction.
Int J Impot Res. 2003 Oct;15(5):343-6.
Engehardt PF, Daha LK, Zils T, Simak R, König K, Pflüger H.
SourceDepartment of Urology and Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute of Andrology and Urology, Lainz Hospital, Vienna, Austria. paul.engelhardt@aon.at
A prospective randomized placebo-controlled study of the effect of acupuncture in infertile patients with severe oligoasthenozoospermia.
Abstract
In this first prospective, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study, 28 infertile patients with severe oligoasthenozoospermia received acupuncture according to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and 29 infertile patients received placebo acupuncture. A significantly higher percentage of motile sperm (World Health Organization categories A-C), but no effect on sperm concentration, was found after acupuncture compared with placebo acupuncture.
Fertil Steril. 2009 Oct;92(4):1340-3. Epub 2009 Apr 25.
Dieterle S, Li C, Greb R, Bartzsch F, Hatzmann W, Huang D SourceDivision of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Witten/Herdecke, Dortmund, Germany. dieterle@ivf-dortmund.de
Success of acupuncture treatment in patients with initially low sperm output is associated with a decrease in scrotal skin temperature.
Abstract
Poor spermatogenesis in patients with inflammation of the genital tract is associated with scrotal hyperthermia. These patients can benefit from acupuncture treatment. We conducted a study to verify whether the influence of acupuncture treatment on sperm output in patients with low sperm density is associated with a decrease in scrotal temperature. The experimental group included 39 men who were referred for acupuncture owing to low sperm output. The control group, which comprised 18 normal fertile men, was used to define a threshold (30.5 degrees C) above which scrotal skin temperature was considered to be high. Accordingly, 34 of the 39 participants in the experimental group initially had high scrotal skin temperature; the other five had normal values. Scrotal skin temperature and sperm concentration were measured before and after acupuncture treatment. The five patients with initially normal scrotal temperatures were not affected by the acupuncture treatment. Following treatment, 17 of the 34 patients with hyperthermia, all of whom had genital tract inflammation, had normal scrotal skin temperature; in 15 of these 17 patients, sperm count was increased. In the remaining 17 men with scrotal hyperthermia, neither scrotal skin temperature nor sperm concentration was affected by the treatment. About 90% of the latter patients suffered from high gonadotropins or mixed etiological factors. Low sperm count in patients with inflammation of the genital tract seems to be associated with scrotal hyperthermia, and, consequently, acupuncture treatment is recommended for these men.
Asian J Androl. 2009 Mar;11(2):200-8. Epub 2009 Jan 5.
Siterman S, Eltes F, Schechter L, Maimon Y, Lederman H, Bartoov B. SourceMaccabi Fund Complementary Medicine, Kaufman Street, Tel Aviv 68012, Israel.
Copyright 2011 XL Acupuncture Clinic, 杏林针灸诊所. All rights reserved.
4546 El Camino Real, B6
Los Altos, CA 94022
ph: 650 868 6632
XL