Kortikale Aktivierungen durch Yamamoto Neue Schädelakupunktur (YNSA) in der Behandlung von Schlaganfallpatienten: Eine Sham-kontrollierte Studie mit Hilfe der funktionellen Kernspintomographie (fMRI)

Background

Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture was first introduced 35 years ago. Today, it is the most often used microsystem in acupuncture next to auriculotherapy .

Aims

Can the efficacy of YNSA – by means of cortical activation – be visualized in fMRI? The neurological correlates of YNSA were studied with the aid of fMRI in 17 patients with ischemic stroke damage in the right hemi-sphere suffering from residual paresis of the left hand versus 19 healthy volunteers. A new acupuncture needle for magnetic resonance imaging developed by Schockert was used in this study.

Methods

The study was performed in a 1.5 tesla Philips MRI system (TR 3000 ms, TE 50 ms, FA 90 °) in a box-car design. Patients were instructed via video goggles to open or close their left hand for five seconds. The data were analyzed by the SPM 2 evaluation program. All patients and volunteers were first subjected to sham acupressure and then YNSA. The sham acupuncture consisted of a single application of pressure by a finger nail in the centre of an imaginary line between SJ 23 and Gb 14. In the verum YNSA, needles were applied to the yin points of the basal ganglia, cerebellum and basic point C.

Results

Of the 17 patients, only five measurements could be evaluated due to motion artefacts. It was not possible to make a group analysis because of the inhomogeneous lesions. The cortical activations were different in each patient. In contrast to the sham acupuncture, verum acupuncture displayed significant cortical activation in the motor, premotor and supplemental motor cortex of the patients.It was possible to evaluate the measurements of the volunteers as a group analysis. In contrast to the patients, the volunteers displayed a decrease in cortical activation during YNSA.

Conclusions

Eight patients in this study experienced a perceptible improvement in mobility and a reduction of spasticity as a result of stroke treatment with YNSA. These motor improvements positively correlate to cortical activity which can be visualized by functional magnetic resonance imaging.Further more extensive clinical and fMRI studies are necessary in order to investigate YNSA-induced cortical activation in stroke patients in deeper detail.     

Kinderwunsch – Hyperprolaktinämie : Therapie mit Akupunktur ist laborchemisch messbar

A 2-years practice-based study with subsequent 1 year follow-up demonstrated for the first time direct laboratory-confirmed effect of a single acupuncture point on the skull in accordance with Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture. The study, including 30 women, showed that this kind of acupuncture treatment is no less effective than pharmaceutical therapy applying Bromocriptine, while producing no side effects.     

Diagnostischer und therapeutischer Einsatz der YNSA im Rettungsdienst bei akuter Dyspnoe

A patient suffering from acute dyspnea was seen at home by an emergency doctor. Yamamoto's New Scalp Acupuncture was administered diagnostically as well as therapeutically. Besides a local infiltration with Lidocain 2 % no other therapeutic regimen was needed in order to treat this case of blockage of the thoracal spine. There was no need to hospitalize the patient.     

Fallstudie: Akupunktur bei posttraumatischer Hemiparese,Epilepsie und diversen Folgesymptomatiken

BackgroundFemale, age 39, suffering from post-traumatic hemiparalysis resulting from a car accident at the age of 18; massively impaired quality of life through various symptoms caused by the traumatic impact on her brain and body.ObjectiveTo attempt a change in the symptomatology, 24 years after the bodily insult.MethodCombined Auriculo- and Body-acupuncture as well as YNSAResultsBroad alleviation of symptoms and extensive improvement in quality of life.ConclusionAcupuncture can be successfully applied in cases of apparently terminal or long-standing problems.     

Der ZS-Punkt – Behandlung weiblicher Hormonstörungen mit einem neu entdeckten Punkt im Bereich des YNSA Y-Somatotops

Up to now 102 women with different kinds of imbalance in the regulation of female hormones have been treated successfully with a newly detected point in the YNSA (Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture) Y-somatotope region. This point, named ZS point, shows an effect in patients with hypermenorrhea, menometrorhagia, amenorrhea or other disturbances of menstruation and menopause.     

Schlafstörung als Folge einer Radiatio bei Prostatakarzinom – Falldarstellung und Expertenmeinungen

A male patient in his seventies had received acupuncture for more than ten years due to recurrent sinusitis. When calling this time, he asked for alleviation from sleep disorders after radiotherapy. He was under cortisol treatment, so the question came up if acupuncture might be successful again.     

Cephalea,Lumbago und Tinnitus als psychosomatische Manifestation

Background

For three years, a 40 year-old male patient had been suffering from headache after having lost his job. His permanent pain could not be influenced by analgetic drugs. Additionally, he suffered from lower back pain and tinnitus (ringing in both ears). All these problems affected his general condition in a way that he didn't feel capable of looking for a new job.

Objectives

Improvement of pain and reduction of tinnitus, to enable the patient to find a new employment.

Methods

YNSA, ear and body acupuncture

Results

After ten treatments, there was no significant improvement of the headache and the lower back pain. There was also no change in general condition and regarding the tinnitus. The patient quit acupuncture after the tenth session, as he felt he could not relax in the busy surroundings of the outpatient service of the hospital. Within the following weeks the patient felt better little by little without any further treatment. Finally, the ringing in the ears only reoccurred in stressful situations. He found a new job and needed no consultations for 4 years until after an argument with his son, the headache reappeared.

Conclusion

For a positive reaction to manifest, chronic disease sometimes needs more than 10 treatments with acupuncture. Still, it may be justified to stop therapy, especially if the patient doesn't feel comfortable with it and longs for the end of the treatment series. A sudden improvement may as well happen within the weeks following the termination of therapy. There can be a delayed reaction causing the desired effect to manifest in a period of “no treatment”.     

Diagnose: Stottern

Background

Stuttering in childhood is a well-known and common problem which responds well to logopedic treatment. If the opportunity for speech therapy is missed or turns out a failure, stuttering will remain a constant problem for adults, reducing quality of life and lacking possibilities to cure.

Objective

In this case report of a 34 year-old woman who has stuttered since childhood it will be discussed if acupuncture can sufficiently improve this speech impairment.

Methods

In literature, there are only a few reports of successful treatment of stuttering in adults. In this case report, classic TCM acupuncture was administered in combination with Japanese Yamamoto's New Scalp Acupuncture (YNSA).

Results

For professional reasons, the patient had to take an oral test which would have been an impossible task before acupuncture. After 25 sessions of acupuncture once a week she underwent her exam and passed with almost no speech difficulties. On the visual analogue scale (from 0 to 10) she showed improvement of more then 70 percent (8,0 before acupuncture, 2,8 afterwards).

Conclusions

Stuttering in adulthood is a rare, but grave problem. In this individual case, acupuncture administered according to the tenets of TCM in combination with YNSA could improve the condition and subsequently, the patient's quality of life.     

Kortikale Aktivierungen durch Yamamoto Neue Schädelakupunktur (YNSA) in der Behandlung von Schlaganfallpatienten – Eine Sham-kontrollierte Studie mit Hilfe der funktionellen Kernspintomographie (fMRI)

Background

Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture was first introduced 35 years ago. Today, it is the most often used microsystem in acupuncture next to auriculotherapy .

Aims

Can the efficacy of YNSA – by means of cortical activation – be visualized in fMRI? The neurological correlates of YNSA were studied with the aid of fMRI in 17 patients with ischemic stroke damage in the right hemi-sphere suffering from residual paresis of the left hand versus 19 healthy volunteers. A new acupuncture needle for magnetic resonance imaging developed by Schockert was used in this study.

Methods

The study was performed in a 1.5 tesla Philips MRI system (TR 3000 ms, TE 50 ms, FA 90°) in a box-car design. Patients were instructed via video goggles to open or close their left hand for five seconds. The data were analyzed by the SPM 2 evaluation program. All patients and volunteers were first subjected to sham acupressure and then YNSA. The sham acupuncture consisted of a single application of pressure by a finger nail in the centre of an imaginary line between SJ 23 and Gb 14. In the verum YNSA, needles were applied to the yin points of the basal ganglia, cerebellum and basic point C.

Results

Of the 17 patients, only five measurements could be evaluated due to motion artefacts. It was not possible to make a group analysis because of the inhomogeneous lesions. The cortical activations were different in each patient. In contrast to the sham acupuncture, verum acupuncture displayed significant cortical activation in the motor, premotor and supplemental motor cortex of the patients.It was possible to evaluate the measurements of the volunteers as a group analysis. In contrast to the patients, the volunteers displayed a decrease in cortical activation during YNSA.

Conclusions

Eight patients in this study experienced a perceptible improvement in mobility and a reduction of spasticity as a result of stroke treatment with YNSA. These motor improvements positively correlate to cortical activity which can be visualized by functional magnetic resonance imaging.Further more extensive clinical and fMRI studies are necessary in order to investigate YNSA-induced cortical activation in stroke patients in deeper detail.