Menopausal symptoms are a concern for peri- and postmenopausal women, and for women who have been treated for breast cancer. Changes in memory are a commonly reported menopausal symptom which can interfere with daily activities, occurring in women who experience natural menopause as well as in women who have an abrupt onset of menopause following treatment for breast cancer. Menopause hormone therapy may be contraindicated or unacceptable for many women, reinforcing the need for well-tolerated, non-hormonal treatments for menopausal symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of acupuncture to improve the menopausal symptom of memory changes in breast cancer survivors, and was a secondary analysis of a placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. The Framework for Interactions between the Individual and the Environment was the conceptual framework that guided the study.<br>Subjects in the parent study were randomized to either the experimental group (symptom-specific acupuncture), control group (non-symptom-specific acupuncture), or enhanced usual care group (instruction on health-related topics). Each group received twelve intervention sessions over an 8-week period. Sixty subjects indicating a positive response to memory items on instruments at baseline were selected for this secondary analysis. The Daily Symptom Diary, Kupperman Index, and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL) measured frequency or severity of perceived memory changes at baseline, midpoint, and end of treatment.<br>Frequency distributions were used to summarize the data. There were no statistically significant results from the Daily Symptom Diary. Improvement in the enhanced usual care group compared to the acupuncture groups was seen on the Kupperman Index, and validity concerns for this instrument were reviewed. Analysis of the MENQOL data revealed more positive change in the acupuncture groups in improvement of memory than in the enhanced usual care group. These findings support the need for further exploration of targeted interventions such as acupuncture to improve memory difficulties for menopausal women and breast cancer survivors, particularly as advances are made in the understanding of the mechanisms of cognitive change. Acupuncture remains promising as a non-hormonal treatment for menopausal symptoms and merits further investigation. / School of Nursing; / Nursing / PhD; / Dissertation;

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering." Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-32).

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

This study investigates the clinical problem-solving among Western-trained and traditionally trained acupuncturists. Fifty-six subjects with varying clinical experience were divided into four groups: physicians without acupuncture training (control), physician-acupuncturists, non-licensed physician-acupuncturists, and traditionally trained acupuncturists. Three clinical cases (two routine and one non-routine), were given to the subjects to provide diagnostic and treatment plans. The data were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. Subjects' diagnostic and treatment plans were evaluated against reference models for Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). / The results indicate that acupuncturists were influenced by their initial medical training. Physician-acupuncturists and non-licensed physician-acupuncturists' practices were greatly influenced by the training in Western medicine, regardless of their exposure to traditional Chinese medicine. The traditionally trained practitioners outperformed the other groups of subjects in the non-routine case. Accuracy in diagnoses and treatments for the non-routine case was also positively related to the length of clinical experience. The findings support theories of expertise that experts use forward reasoning when coping with familiar cases, and backward reasoning when encountering difficult cases.

No description available.

The analgesic effect of acupuncture is well known. Areas in the brain and higher centres that are activated by acupuncture have been mapped out. Some of these areas are also implicated in the modulation of motor function. In addition to pain relief, acupuncture has been found to increase range of movement in patients with increased muscle tone. There is, however, scant knowledge of the mechanisms underlying this therapeutic effect.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Also available online.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Göteborg : Göteborgs universitet, 2008. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 154-191) Also available in print.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.