Factors affect wound healing.

Wound healing is a normal biological process in the human body and the process contains four phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling.

For a wound to heal successfully, all four phases must occur in the proper sequence and time frame. Many factors can interfere with one or more phases of this process, thus causing improper or impaired wound healing. Generally, the factors that influence repair can be categorized into local and systemic. Local factors are those that directly influence the characteristics of the wound itself, such as oxygenation, infection, foreign body and venous sufficiency; while systemic factors are the overall health or disease state of the individual that affect his or her ability to heal such as age and hormones, stress, diabetes, ischemia, diseases, diabetes, obesity, medications including sterioids, chemotherapy, immunity deficiency, alcoholism, smoking, and nutrition.


References
S Guo et al J Dent Res. 2010 Mar; 89(3): 219–229.

Acupuncture helps sleep quality in patients with insomnia by altering brain activities

Primary insomnia is that people have difficulty in falling sleep and difficulty in maintaining sleep. People with insomnia has caused an increased incidence of serious medical conditions, such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Acupuncture has been proven to be effective for insomnia with minor side-effects and has been increasingly used in private clinics located in 46 states in the United States as a treatment for insomnia.
Previous studies on the mechanism of acupuncture have revealed that acupuncture can affect the activation in brain regions. The activation in brain regions at 15 min after acupuncture stimuli were greater than the activation at 5 min after acupuncture stimuli.
A recent study recruited 129 patients with insomnia and examined the effect of acupuncture on insomnia. After the 5-week acupuncture treatment, patients sleep quality was improved significantly.
fMRI scan has shown that in the following brain regions are rrelated to sleep quality: right cerebellum posterior lobe, temporal gyrus (left middle temporal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus), left extra-nuclear, right anterior cingulate, left parahippocampa gyrus, frontal gyrus (bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, bilateral superior frontal gyrus), parietal lobule (right precentral gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, left superior parietal lobule, left precuneus). After acupuncture treatment, activities in these regions are altered.

References
Yu-Kai Wang et al BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020; 20: 254.

Acupuncture improves clinical pregnancy rate and ovarian reserve

Infertility caused by various factors is defined as a couple’s inability to conceive after one year of regular and unprotected sex. Approximately one in six couples worldwide are affected by infertility In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a frequently used treatment method to achieve pregnancy. The success rate of IVF increases in conditions with good response to controlled ovarian stimulation (COS). Poor ovarian response (POR) has been accepted as a predictor of outcome of IVF. An abnormal ovarian reserve test (i.e., antral follicle count (AFC) less than 5-7 follicles or anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) less than 0.5-1.1 ng/ml) indicates poor ovarian response. Acupuncture has been used to treat infertility, as it improves the endometrium, promotes ovulation, and reduces pain during egg retrieval. Additionally, acupuncture is utilized in combination with IVF to improve fertilization rates. Acupuncture can reduce uterine artery blood flow impedance in infertile women undergoing IVF. Since ovarian stromal blood flow has been frequently used to predict ovarian response prior to IVF, acupuncture may affect ovarian response. A recent research has shown that clinical pregnancy rate, AMH and the number of retrieved oocytes were highest in the acupuncture group compared to control groups. References Soobin Jang et al Integr Med Res. 2020 Jun; 9(2): 100395.

Acupuncture helps acne

Acne is a chronic inflammation in the hair follicles and sebaceous glands. The most affected areas are the face and chest and back, because these areas are the areas where sebum secretion is more active. Acne develops further and can produce skin lesions such as pimples, cysts, and nodules. Acne not only damages the appearance of patients, but also causes emotional distress such as anxiety or depression due to impaired appearance, which seriously affects the physical and mental health of patients. The causes are related to endocrine factors, immune factors, abnormalities of the hair follicle sebaceous glands, and mass reproduction of microorganisms.
Recent studies have shown that acupuncture can quickly reduce inflammation, relieve local tissue edema, congestion, exudation, adhesions, and other pathological changes. The white blood cell value changes significantly before and after acupuncture treatment. The white blood cell count of patients treated with acupuncture was significantly higher, indicating that acupuncture can promote the proliferation of white blood cells, thereby promoting the absorption of inflammation and playing a role in anti-inflammatory and anti-infection. Acupuncture has the function of promoting the absorption of chronic inflammation, which can destroy the diseased tissue and stimulate the body's absorption of necrotic tissue. Promote blood circulation: Local microcirculation problem and local skin lesions are present in acne. This was improved after acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture can help the absorption of inflammation and improve local blood circulation. It can improve the body's metabolic level.

For example, a study recruited 36 participants with acne. They were offered 12 treatments over 6 weeks.
The result has shown that there was a significant reduction in the inflammatory acne lesion counts, the Skindex-29 scores and the subjective symptom scores.

References
Byeong-Kook Son et al Acupunct Med. 2010 Sep;28(3):126-9.
Le Kou et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 May; 99(18): e19764.

What is collagen?

Collagens are the most plentiful insoluble fibrous proteins and major building blocks in the body accounting for 1/3 of the protein composition. They can be found in bones, skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They are also found in many other body parts, including blood vessels, corneas, and teeth. The collagens in the human body are strong and flexible. They give the skin strength and elasticity and help blood clot etc.

There are 4 main types of collagens out of 16.

Collagens are known as structural proteins that holds the body together to provide strength and structure.

Type I consist of 90% of the body’s collagen and is densely packed fibers. It provides structure to skin, bones, tendons, fibrous cartilage, connective tissue, and teeth.

Type II is more loosely packed and found in elastic cartilage of joints.

Type III supports the structure of muscles, organs, and arteries.

Type IV helps with filtration and is found in the layers of the skin.

With aging, the body produces less and lower quality collagen.

For example, the skin becomes less firm and elastic. Wrinkles form, Joint cartilage also weakens with age.

Myofascial lines

Saggy skin, tried acupuncture?

Acupuncture improves collagen production and resumes younger looking skin.

How the skin looking, young or old depends on the nature and organization of dermal collagen and the elastic fibers network. The collagens give the mechanical strength of the skin, whereas the elastic fibers are responsible for elasticity to the skin. They give skin elasticity and provide firm skin so that skin can bounce back when stretched.

The patterns of collagen organisation depend on the collagen types and other characteristics such as fiber length, fiber volume fraction and collagen molecular stretching, as well as the tilt angle of collagens determining its orientation. These change with age, becoming denser and begin to disorganise and contribute to the appearance of wrinkles and sagging skin. Both elastin and collagen production decline as people age. These two proteins can also become deteriorated by external factors over time, such as: UV exposure, smoking, pollutants in the environment, excess alcohol, poor nutrition etc. Not taking care of your skin or health can speed up the process of skin aging. This can make your skin look saggy and wrinkled at a younger age. Saggy skin, on both the face and body, is also associated with the loss of fat.

Saggy skin can happen almost anywhere on the body. Common areas include eyelids, jaw, chin, throat, upper arms and stomach.

Acupuncture improves collagen and elastin production resulting in younger looking skin. This is proved by recent research study. In this study, 52 patients were participated. The result was assessed by an independent dermatologist. The result shows that skin laxity and tone had markedly improved in all patients resulting in a younger, fresher, healthier and brighter appearance of the patients' skin. Moreover, a reduction of wrinkles and fine lines was observed, as well as an increase in skin collagen and elasticity, with the skin looking more plumed and naturally ‘lifted’ without the aid of foreign substances that can sometimes alter facial features.

The laboratory analysed samples from a biopsy pre- and post-treatment and found that both the macroscopic, as well as histological characteristics of the skin were significantly improved. Trichrome staining demonstrated a more compact dermis, with a healthy matrix network Specifically, the collagen fibers were larger and thicker with a more ordered alignment of fibers of the treated skin as compared to the pre-treatment condition.This finding was also confirmed by electron microscopy which demonstrated an increased dermis thickness compared with the pre-treatment condition. collagen the fibers were disorganized and of poorer quality before treatment and were better organized, good quality fibers of a more ordered alignment after the treatment.

References

Maria Sifaki et al Exp Ther Med. 2020 Jan; 19(1): 717–721.

The Sacroiliac Joint pain, tried acupuncture?

The Sacroiliac Joints (SI joints) are located at the low back where the sacrum and ilium meet. The sacrum is the triangle-shaped bone near the bottom of the spine, just above the coccyx, or tailbone. The ilium, one of the three bones that make up the hip bones, is the uppermost point of the pelvis. The Sacroiliac Joints connect the spine to the hips. All the bones in the SI joints are connected by muscles and the joints are reinforced by strong ligaments. This network of soft tissues provides support and stability, limits movement at the joint, and assists with absorbing pressure. Small movements at the joint help with shock absorption when walking and lifting and forward/backward bending. The bones of the SI joints are jagged which help them stay in alignment. Spaces between the bones of the SI joints are filled with fluid providing lubrication. These spaces are also filled with free nerve endings, which send pain signals to the brain.

SI joint pain can occur. Other terms for SI joint pain include: SI joint dysfunction, SI joint syndrome, SI joint strain and SI joint inflammation. The SI joint is to account for 15-30% chronic lower back pain. Chronic SI joint pain persists for more than three months. Common symptoms include: pain in the lower back, pain in the buttocks, hips, and pelvis, pain in the groin, pain limited to just one of the SI joints, increased pain when standing up from a sitting position, stiffness or a burning sensation in the pelvis, numbness, weakness, pain radiating down into the thighs and upper legs.

Typically, it is dull, aching, lower back pain and can range from mild to severe. It may be felt all the time or worsen with certain activities. Lower back pain is typically felt only on one side, but in some cases may be felt on both sides. It can be a sharp, stabbing pain that radiates from the hips, buttocks, and/or groin and pelvis, up to the lower back, and down to the thighs. The pain is worsened when putting added pressure on the sacroiliac joint, such as climbing stairs, running, or jogging, and lying or putting weight on one side. Stiffness and reduced range-of-motion in the lower back, hips, pelvis, and groin may cause difficulty with movements such as walking upstairs or bending at the waist.

Acupuncture effectively reduces low back pain.

Had miscarriage, why not try acupuncture?

Had miscarriage, why not try acupuncture?

An early miscarriage is the loss of pregnancy at ≤13 weeks’ pregnancy. About one in four pregnancies, where a woman has missed a menstrual period and has a positive pregnancy test, ends in early miscarriage. Nearly 125 000 early miscarriages occur annually in the UK, accounting for 50 000 hospital admissions.

Early miscarriage is usually diagnosed by pelvic ultrasound after a woman has experienced vaginal bleeding or abdominal pain. Women with a complete miscarriage, where expulsion of pregnancy tissue is complete, are managed conservatively without further intervention. Women with a missed or incomplete miscarriage may require further intervention.

Miscarriage can be a physical and emotional challenge. It is a major life event and can have a potentially devastating psychological impact on the woman in addition to the physical effects such as bleeding and pain.

There is a good chance that you will give birth to a healthy baby in the future. Only about 20% of women who have had a miscarriage have another miscarriage the next time they become pregnant.

What would you do to help for the recovery from a miscarriage?

After miscarriage, the women’s body need to recover from the event, get hormones rebalanced, get rid of the inflammation from the miscarriage, recover from the psychological impact that it caused.

Tried acupuncture? Acupuncture can help reduce stress and release the emotions, rebalance hormones, reduce inflammation to get you ready to get pregnant again. Some women have difficulty to conceive after miscarriage and acupuncture can help to get pregnant faster.

References

https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.l6438