Biomedical subjects

Rosa Schnyer

Publications and source records attributed to Rosa Schnyer.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Acupuncture for postmenopausal hot flashes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether individually tailored acupuncture is an effective treatment option for reducing postmenopausal hot flashes and improving quality of life. METHODS: In a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study, 29 postmenopausal participants averaging at least seven moderate to severe hot flashes per 24h, with a baseline estradiol concentration of less than 50 pg/mL and a normal TSH level, were randomized to receive 7 weeks (nine treatment sessions) of either active acupuncture or placebo acupuncture (placebo needles that did not penetrate the skin at sham acupuncture points). Participants recorded hot flashes in logs that were reported daily. Global indices of the severity and frequency of hot flashes were derived from the participants' daily logs. RESULTS: Participants receiving the active treatment had a greater reduction in hot flash severity (24.5+/-30.7%) compared to those receiving placebo (4.4+/-17.1%, P=0.042). Within group repeated measures analyses of variance revealed a significant reduction in hot flash severity in the active (P=0.042), but not in the placebo treatment group (P=0.15). Although there was no significant group difference in the reduction of hot flash frequency between the active (42.4+/-32.2%) and placebo groups (32.0+/-26.5%; P>or=0.352), within group repeated measures analyses of variance revealed that the reduction was statistically significant in both groups (P<or=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Standardized, individually tailored acupuncture treatment was associated with significantly greater decrease in the severity, but not the frequency, of hot flashes, in symptomatic postmenopausal women when compared to placebo acupuncture of equal duration. Future, larger scale, studies are needed.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

PubMed2006

A randomized controlled pilot study of acupuncture for postmenopausal hot flashes: effect on nocturnal hot flashes and sleep quality.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture on postmenopausal nocturnal hot flashes and sleep. DESIGN: Prospective randomized placebo-controlled study. SETTING: Stanford University School of Medicine and private acupuncture offices. INTERVENTION(S): Active or placebo acupuncture was administered for nine sessions over seven weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Severity and frequency of nocturnal hot flashes from daily diaries and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). PATIENT(S): Twenty-nine postmenopausal women experiencing at least seven moderate to severe hot flashes daily, with E(2) <18 pg/mL and FSH 30.0-110.0 IU/L. RESULT(S): Nocturnal hot-flash severity significantly decreased in the active acupuncture group (28%) compared with the placebo group (6%), P=.017. The frequency of nocturnal hot flashes also decreased in the active group (47%, P=.001), though it was not significantly different from the placebo group (24%, P=.170; effect size = 0.65). Treatment did not differentially influence sleep; however, correlations between improvements in PSQI and reductions in nocturnal hot flash severity and frequency were significant (P<.026). CONCLUSION(S): Acupuncture significantly reduced the severity of nocturnal hot flashes compared with placebo. Given the strength of correlations between improvements in sleep and reductions in nocturnal hot flashes, further exploration is merited.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

PubMed2005

Acupuncture for upper-extremity rehabilitation in chronic stroke: a randomized sham-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of traditional Chinese acupuncture with sham acupuncture on upper-extremity (UE) function and quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic hemiparesis from stroke. DESIGN: A prospective, sham-controlled, randomized controlled trial (RCT). SETTING: Patients recruited through a hospital stroke rehabilitation program. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-three subjects who incurred a stroke 0.8 to 24 years previously and had moderate to severe UE functional impairment. INTERVENTIONS: Active acupuncture tailored to traditional Chinese medicine diagnoses, including electroacupuncture, or sham acupuncture. Up to 20 treatment sessions (mean, 16.9) over a mean of 10.5 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: UE motor function, spasticity, grip strength, range of motion (ROM), activities of daily living, QOL, and mood. All outcomes were measured at baseline and after treatment. RESULTS: Intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses found no statistically significant differences in outcomes between active and sham acupuncture groups. Analyses of protocol-compliant subjects revealed significant improvement in wrist spasticity (P<.01) and both wrist (P<.01) and shoulder (P<.01) ROM in the active acupuncture group, and improvement trends in UE motor function (P=.09) and digit ROM (P=.06). CONCLUSIONS: Based on ITT analyses, we conclude that acupuncture does not improve UE function or QOL in patients with chronic stroke symptoms. However, gains in UE function observed in protocol-compliant subjects suggest traditional Chinese acupuncture may help patients with chronic stroke symptoms. These results must be interpreted cautiously because of small sample sizes and multiple, unadjusted, post hoc comparisons. A larger, more definitive RCT using a similar design is feasible and warranted.

Activities of Daily Living↗