Coronavirus vaccine

In the UK, there are 2 types of COVID-19 vaccine The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and The Oxford vaccine to be used once they are approved. They both require 2 doses to provide the best protection. Both have been shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials. The NHS first offers these vaccines to those at highest risk of catching the disease and of suffering serious complications or dying from COVID-19 which includes older adults in care homes and frontline health and social care workers. When more vaccine becomes available, the vaccines will be offered to other people at risk as soon as possible.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was found to be safe and effective by the UK medicines regulator and has been approved for mass use in over-16s. Margaret Keenan who was turning 91 was the first person in the world to receive a dose. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has manufacturing sites in Europe and the US. Initial vaccine doses for the UK are being produced at Pfizer's site in Puurs, Belgium.

The vaccine from Pfizer is made using genetic material RNA, a part of the virus's genetic code. This is injected into patients to activate patient’s immune cells. This technique never before developed on this scale - it has strict temperature requirements and needs to be stored at a very cold -70C to prevent it from degrading. This means it needs to be transported in a carefully controlled deep-freeze delivery chain.

The Oxford vaccine is a genetically modified common cold virus that used to infect chimpanzees. it can't trigger infection in humans because it has had a tiny bit of genetic material removed. A fragment of the genetic code for coronavirus is inserted into this gap. This forms the vaccine. The technical term is a viral vector vaccine. The Oxford vaccine has a crucial advantage - its vials can be stored and transported at normal fridge temperature.

Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine approved for use in UK just before New Year 2021.

The first people will receive the Oxford University/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on 4 January 2021 as the NHS rapidly expands COVID-19 vaccination programmes across the UK.

The NHS is the first health service in the world to deploy the life-saving jab, which has been authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after meeting strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. It is the only approved vaccine which can be stored at fridge temperatures.

Brian Pinker, 82-year-old has become the first person in the world to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine since it was approved for use in the UK.

References
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-why-you-are-being-asked-to-wait/why-you-have-to-wait-for-your-covid-19-vaccine
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55308216

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-people-to-receive-oxford-universityastrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-today-4-january-2021

Acupuncture for subchorionic hematoma

Subchorionic hematoma or subchorionic hemorrhage is bleeding beneath the chorion membranes that enclose the embryo in the uterus due to partial detachment of the chorion membranes from the wall of the uterus. They are the most common cause of vaginal bleeding in 9-20 weeks pregnancy. Most women present with light vaginal bleeding, but some are asymptomatic with incidental ultrasound findings. The causes of subchorionic hematoma are not clear. The presence of a uterine malformation, a history of recurrent pregnancy loss, or pelvic infections are all possible risk factors to subchorionic hematoma. The symptoms of subchorionic hematoma are vaginal bleeding without abdominal pain; some patients may experience cramping. The increased pregnancy loss includes the volume of the bleeding, location and pregnancy weeks.

There was a paper that reported acupuncture for threatened miscarriage with subchorionic hematoma. They found that acupuncture combined with dextroprogesterone can improve the effective rate of patients with threatened abortion in early pregnancy complicated with subchorionic hematoma.

References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559017/
Jia-Man Wu et al Zhongguo Zhen Jiu 2019 Oct 12;39(10):1046-50.

Pelvic floor: Transverse perineal muscles

Transverse perineal muscles
There are two transverse perineal muscles, superficial and deep transverse perineal. They are part of the pelvic floor. Superficial transverse perineal muscle originates from tendinous fibers from the ischial tuberosity of the sitting bone, runs medially and ends at the perineal body the central tendinous point of the perinium with the bulbospongiosus muscle in front. Deep transverse perineal muscle originates from the ischium, runs medially, and ends at vagina and the perineal body posteriorly and blends with the opposite side muscle. They act to support the perineal body and pelvic floor.

WHO lists of acupuncture therapy tested

 The World Health Organisation lists a wide variety of diseases or disorders for which acupuncture therapy has been tested in controlled clinical trials. Here is the full list.

 

The diseases or disorders for which acupuncture therapy has been tested in controlled clinical trials reported in the recent literature can be classified into four categories as shown below.

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1. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture has been proved— through controlled trials—to be an effective treatment:

Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy

Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)

Biliary colic

Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)

Dysentery, acute bacillary

Dysmenorrhoea, primary

Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)

Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)

Headache

Hypertension, essential

Hypotension, primary

Induction of labour

Knee pain

Leukopenia

Low back pain

Malposition of fetus, correction of

Morning sickness

Nausea and vomiting

Neck pain

Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)

Periarthritis of shoulder

Postoperative pain

Renal colic

Rheumatoid arthritis,

Sciatica

Sprain

Stroke

Tennis elbow

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2. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but for which further proof is needed:

Abdominal pain (in acute gastroenteritis or due to gastrointestinal spasm)

Acne vulgaris

Alcohol dependence and detoxification

Bell’s palsy

Bronchial asthma

Cancer pain

Cardiac neurosis

Cholecystitis, chronic, with acute exacerbation

Cholelithiasis

Competition stress syndrome

Craniocerebral injury, closed

Diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent

Earache

Epidemic haemorrhagic fever

Epistaxis, simple (without generalized or local disease)

Eye pain due to subconjunctival injection

Female infertility

Facial spasm

Female urethral syndrome

Fibromyalgia and fasciitis

Gastrokinetic disturbance

Gouty arthritis

Hepatitis B virus carrier status

Herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpesvirus 3)

Hyperlipaemia

Hypo-ovarianism

Insomnia

Labour pain

Lactation, deficiency

Male sexual dysfunction, non-organic

Ménière disease

Neuralgia, post-herpetic

Neurodermatitis

Obesity

Opium, cocaine and heroin dependence

Osteoarthritis

Pain due to endoscopic examination

Pain in thromboangiitis obliterans

Polycystic ovary syndrome (Stein–Leventhal syndrome)

Postextubation in children

Postoperative convalescence

Premenstrual syndrome

Prostatitis, chronic

Pruritus

Radicular and pseudoradicular pain syndrome

Raynaud syndrome, primary

Recurrent lower urinary-tract infection

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy

Retention of urine, traumatic

Schizophrenia

Sialism, drug-induced

Sjögren syndrome

Sore throat (including tonsillitis)

Spine pain, acute

Stiff neck

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction

Tietze syndrome

Tobacco dependence

Tourette syndrome

Ulcerative colitis, chronic

Urolithiasis

Vascular dementia

Whooping cough (pertussis)

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3. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which there are only individual controlled trials reporting some therapeutic effects, but for which acupuncture is worth trying because treatment by conventional and other therapies is difficult:

Chloasma

Choroidopathy, central serous

Colour blindness

Deafness

Hypophrenia

Irritable colon syndrome

Neuropathic bladder in spinal cord injury

Pulmonary heart disease, chronic

Small airway obstruction

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4. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture may be tried provided the practitioner has special modern medical knowledge and adequate monitoring equipment:

Breathlessness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Coma

Convulsions in infants

Coronary heart disease (angina pectoris)

Diarrhoea in infants and young children

Encephalitis, viral, in children, late stage

Paralysis, progressive bulbar and pseudobulbar

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References

https://www.acupuncture.org.uk/public-content/public-traditional-acupuncture/4026-who-list-of-conditions.html

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Having vulval pain? tried acupuncture?

 

Essential tremor treatment with acupuncture

A tremor is an involuntary rhythmic muscle contraction involving movements of one or more parts of the body. It may be intermittent or constant. It is a common movement disorder that most often affects the hands but can also occur in the arms, head, vocal cords, torso, and legs. Most types of tremor have no known cause, although there are some forms that appear to be inherited and run in families. Tremor can occur on its own or be a symptom associated with some neurological disorders, including multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, the use of certain medicines, anxiety or panic attack.
Essential tremor is a nervous system (neurological) disorder that causes involuntary and rhythmic shaking. It can affect almost any part of your body, but the trembling occurs most often in the hands.

Essential tremor is usually not a dangerous condition, but it typically worsens over time and can be severe in some people. Other conditions don't cause essential tremor, although essential tremor is sometimes confused with Parkinson's disease.

Essential tremor can occur at any age but is most common in people age 40 and older.

Essential tremor vs. Parkinson's disease

Timing of tremors is different. Essential tremor of the hands usually occurs when you use the hands. Tremors from Parkinson's disease are most prominent when the hands are resting.

Associated conditions. Essential tremor generally doesn't cause other health problems, but Parkinson's disease is associated with slow movement and stiffness.

Acupuncture is used for essential Essential tremors and there were case reports that essential tremors are improved with acupuncture treatments.

References
Jong-Jin Jeong and Seung-Ho Sun J Pharmacopuncture. 2013 Dec; 16(4): 49–53.

Healing from emotional and psychological trauma with acupuncture

Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extremely stressful events that traumatise the brain and leave you struggling with upsetting and depressing emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away.

It can be caused by onetime events or ongoing, persistent stress that occur repeatedly. The symptoms include emotional & psychological symptoms: such as confusion, difficulty concentrating, anger, irritability, mood swings, anxiety and fear, depression, negative thoughts etc.; and physical symptoms such as insomnia or nightmares, fatigue, being startled easily, racing heartbeat, edginess and agitation, aches and pains, muscle tension etc.

Mental and emotional release can help you release post-traumatic stress, anxiety, fear and depression, other negative emotions, consequently, heal from trauma.

Acupuncture can help regulate brain region where controlling emotions such as amygdala and nervous system and balance chemicals which plays a vital role in emotional processing to help mental and emotional release.

References
Kathleen K.S. Hui et al Auton Neurosci. 2010 Oct 28; 157(0): 81–90.