NIH - COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE ONLINE CONTINUING EDUCATION SERIES

[NIH] Excellent training videos for CAM researchers

http://nccam.nih.gov/training/videolectures

NIH - INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF CLINICAL RESEARCH

[NIH] The course is offered yearly at the Clinical Center. A certificate is awarded upon successful completion of the course, which includes a final exam. This activity will be of interest to physicians and other health professionals training for a career in clinical research.

http://www.cc.nih.gov/training/training/ippcr/info.html

NIH - NCCAM TRAINING

[NIH] This is a good first-stop for an overview of the skill sets and institutional support needed to apply and perform NIH funded research.

http://nccam.nih.gov/training

NIH - FINANCIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

[NIH] Human Subject Protection and Financial Conflicts of Interest training is required by the federal government to protect human subjects in research. This training is required if a researcher is involved in research conducted at a major university or another research facility that has an Institutional Review Board. This downloadable PDF was prepared by the National Institutes of Health and nicely lays out the details of the NIH guidelines on the Financial Conflict of Interest. A financial conflict of interest is a significant financial interest that could directly and significantly effect the design, conduct or reporting of NIH funded research.

http://www.aaaomonline.org/resource/resmgr/AmericanAcupuncturist/FCOI_presentation_201204.pdf

11/02/2013 - ACUPUNCTURE SHOWS PROMISE TO IMPROVE EYESIGHT FOR RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA PATIENTS

[HealthCMi] Treatments with acupuncture and herbal medicine for retinitis pigmentosa, a disorder that is a genetically inherited condition that may lead to blindness, have demonstrated positive clinical outcomes in several studies. A groundbreaking study was published in 2011 wherein it was discovered that acupuncture protects the optic nerve from damage caused by intraocular pressure by alleviating stresses on retinal and optic nerve axonal ultrastructures. Another study showed that Chinese medicine improved retinal cone activity for patients with retinitis pigmentosa, even in cases of advanced retinal degeneration. A more aggressive study was published in Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 2013. She Xiang was injected into acupuncture points UB18 and UB23 and results showed that acupuncture improved eyesight for patients with retinitis pigmentosa. The study concludes that injection of She Xiang into Ganshu (UB18) and Shenshu (UB23) "can improve effectively the function and metabolism of optic cells, promote blood circulation of the retina, enhance the visual acuity, and protect the central vision for the patient of retinitis pigmentosa.”

http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1188-acupuncture-improves-eyesight-for-retinitis-pigmentosa-new-study

11/01/2013 - SAMUELI INSTITUTE STUDY: HIGH IMPACT TRAINING PROGRAMS TO HELP SERVICE MEMBERS COPE WITH STRESS

[PR Web] In a study involving 116 randomized control trials distilled from a pool of nearly 12,000, the Samueli Institute of Alexandria, VA evaluated the impact of stress-reduction programs within a military environment. The study, published in this month's Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, focused on stills-training that builds resilience, eases emotional stress and resets the body's control system that reacts to stress. Areas of concentration included post traumatic stress response, depression and anxiety.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/10/prweb11213294.htm

11/01/2013 - PATIENT OUTCOMES AND EXPERIENCES OF AN ACUPUNCTURE AND SELF-CARE SERVICE FOR PERSISTENT LOW BACK PAIN: A MIXED METHODS APPROACH

[BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine] Supported self-management, acupuncture, and information can help reduce the symptoms of low back pain. These approaches are currently recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the U.K. as treatment options for patients with persistent low back pain. However, there has been no previous evaluation of a service providing them together for this common problem. The purpose of a service evaluation project by the Beating Back Pain Service (BBPS ) was to report patient outcomes and experiences in a primary and community care setting, delivering acupuncture, self-management, and information to patients with chronic low back pain. The BBPS provided musculoskeletal pain management combining self-management with acupuncture, which was found to be highly effective by patients who completed a questionnaire about their back pain problems after such combined treatment. Further consideration of these methods is required regarding how to best engage patients in self-management.

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/13/300/abstract

09/25/2013 - ACUPUNCTURE WITH COUNSELING IMPROVED DEPRESSION

[International Business Times] Acupuncture and counseling improved outcomes among patients with moderate to severe depression in the United Kingdom, according to data from a randomized trial.

Researchers from the University of York in the UK recruited patients with depression from 27 primary care practices in northern England and randomly assigned participants to acupuncture (n=302), counseling (n=302) or usual care (n=151) to determine the efficacy and cost effectiveness of various treatments. The condition is normally treated using antidepressants and counseling. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are some of commonly prescribed antidepressants.

There were statistically significant reductions in PHQ-9 assessment scores in the acupuncture and counseling groups vs. usual care at three months (–2.46 points for acupuncture, P<.001; –1.73 points for counseling, P=.008). Scores were similar during 12 months: –1.55 points in the acupuncture group and –1.5 in the counseling group. However, there was no significant difference in scores between the acupuncture and counseling groups (P=.41).

"These findings suggest that, compared to usual care alone, both acupuncture and counseling when provided alongside usual care provided significant benefits at three months in primary care to patients with recurring depression," the researchers wrote.

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/acupuncture-effective-in-treating-depression-508972

07/31/2013 - PLACEBO EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT THERAPIES NOT IDENTICAL

[Science Daily] Not all placebos are equal, and patients who respond to one placebo don't always respond to others, according to new research.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130731230123.htm

02/08/2013 - TIME FOR ACUPUNCTURE TO BECOME PART OF STANDARD CARE

[Huffington Post] A recent study conducted by researchers in the Integrative Medicine Program at the MD Anderson Cancer Center and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology helps provide cancer patients and their oncologists the information needed to make choices about the use of acupuncture in symptoms management during cancer programs.

Forty-one studies were found for the treatment of eight symptoms including: 11 on pain, 11 on nausea/vomiting, eight on postoperative ileus (constipation), four on xerostomia (dry mouth), seven on hot flashes, three on fatigue, five on anxiety/depression/mood disorders, and three on sleep disturbance. These studies were rated for study quality and whether outcomes were positive or negative. There is reason to believe that with larger, more rigorous studies, acupuncture may be found beneficial for some of these conditions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lorenzo-cohen-phd/acupuncture-cancer-patients_b_2593301.html?utm_hp_ref=tw