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Biomedical subjects

G T Lewith

Publications and source records attributed to G T Lewith.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1986

Acupuncture.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1985

The effects of acupuncture versus placebo in the treatment of headache.

Forty-eight patients were entered into a placebo (mock TNS) versus acupuncture study to assess the effect of these therapies on headache. Treatment was evaluated by the use of patient diaries; each patient completed a daily diary for 4 weeks prior to treatment during 6 weeks of therapy and for 24 weeks of follow-up. Thirty-nine patients completed treatment and follow-up. At most acupuncture appears to be approximately 20% more effective than a placebo in alleviating headache but no statistically significant difference between these two treatments could be demonstrated. The implications of this result particularly with respect to determining treatment success and study method employed are discussed.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1984

Physiological and psychological explanations for the mechanism of acupuncture as a treatment for chronic pain.

Many suggestions have been made about the possible mechanism of acupuncture as an analgesic therapy. This review provides a comprehensive account of the neurological, neurohumoral and psychologically-based hypotheses put forward. Although the exact mechanism of this treatment remains unclear, it is apparent that reproducible neurological and chemical changes occur in response to acupuncture, and that these changes almost certainly modify the response to, and perception, of pain. The mechanism of chronic pain is completely understood, but within this framework we understand acupuncture as completely as most other types of analgesic treatment.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1981

A randomised trial to evaluate the effect of infra-red stimulation of local trigger points, versus placebo, on the pain caused by cervical osteoarthrosis.

Claims have been made that local heat is particularly useful in treating osteoarthritis pain. This randomised trial evaluates the short term efficacy of local heat, on the pain caused by cervical osteoarthrosis. Two treatment groups were compared, one receiving mock TNS and the other heat from an infra-red gun (the IRS Medtec 100). Both the placebo and treatment groups received treatment on local tender trigger points. Each patient received four treatments. Pain was assessed before entry into the trial and after the completion of treatment; the parameters used for assessing pain were, analgesic intake, sleep disturbance due to pain and subjective pain score. Twenty-six patients were entered into the trial, twenty-five completed treatment. In the group receiving treatment from the infra-red gun (IRS Medtec 100) 75% obtained significant pain relief. In the group receiving mock TNS 31% obtained significant pain relief. A chi-squared test comparing these two groups give a P value of 0.07.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

A method of assessing the clinical effects of acupuncture.

This article describes a data handling system designed to assess the effects of acupuncture in some common diseases. The objectives of this system are to provide a simple, swift and practical method that can be effectively operated within the limits of a busy clinic. This would provide crude descriptive data that will be of use in itself as well as suggesting further ideas for more detailed research. The system is based on the use of simple questionnaires, these are formulated so that they can be used by the patients alone. An initial form is used to record basic patient data and then one of the five symptom group forms (pain, headache, indigestion, lower bowel disorder and breathlessness) is then used to evaluate the severity of any particular disease. All the questionnaires are based on similar criteria, such as drug intake, sleep disturbance due to the disease and patient's subjective evaluation of the severity of their disease. The symptom group forms are filled in by the patient at the beginning of treatment, at the end of treatment and after a three month follow-up period. The questionnaires have been piloted on some 300 patients, and have been found to be a valid and effective method of assessing treatment.

Acupuncture Therapy↗