Acupuncture and TCM Articles

Acupuncture & TCM Articles

Researchers Look to Acupuncture to Treat Debilitating Effects of Stroke

Every 45 seconds in the United States, someone has a stroke. This year alone, an estimated 750,000 Americans will suffer either a first or recurrent stroke. The resulting physical and neurological impacts make stroke the leading cause of adult disability, with loss of mobility, vision, cognitive function and independence*. While no cure yet exists to reverse the effects of stroke, researchers are now looking to acupuncture to alleviate a range of stroke-induced impairments.

With a $460,000 grant from a private foundation, faculty at the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA), in collaboration with researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, have designed a rigorous controlled pilot study to compare the effects of real acupuncture to sham acupuncture in treating stroke patients. The potential benefits of acupuncture will be evaluated with state-of-the-art methods including computerized imaging of gait and limb movements and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain.

"This study will look at a number of clinically-driven questions about how effective acupuncture can be in reducing some physical impairments, removing functional limitations and enhancing the quality of life in patients with chronic hemiparesis," says Dr. Peter Wayne, NESA's Director of Research and the project's Principal Investigator. Wayne adds that hemiparesis -- weakness or paralysis on one side of the body -- is the most significant chronic effect of strokes.

"Although some early studies conducted in China suggest that acupuncture can be effective in facilitating stroke recovery, more recent trials in both the West and China have been less conclusive. There is an opportunity to cover new ground with this study," says Wayne. "One unique aspect of our study is its reliance on state-of-the-art medical technology to measure outcomes and to explore how acupuncture affects brain activity of stroke patients. A second unique aspect of our study its focus on treating persisting chronic symptoms associated with stroke. Most acupuncture-stroke research to date has been done with patients who are in early stages of recovery.

"Using MRI, changes in brain activity and blood flow will be examined in participants after real or sham acupuncture treatment," says Dr. Judith Schaechter, of the Athinola A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. "We want to gain insights into the relationship between brain plasticity and recovery of motor function that may be facilitated by acupuncture."

Study participants, who have suffered a stroke at least six months earlier, and are still experiencing weakness on one side of the body are being recruited through Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Researchers expect to have initial study results within a year.

"The question is what acupuncture can add to recovery for these patients with chronic symptoms," says Dr. William Stason, of the Harvard School of Public Health and a co-investigator on the study. "Another important question" he adds, "is whether the placebo effect plays an important role. We are examining this question by comparing sham acupuncture [placing needles away from key meridians] to the effects of real acupuncture."

The stroke study is one of a number of research projects that have attracted more than $1 million in funding to NESA's research initiative over the past two and a half years. In conjunction with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Harvard Medical School, Tufts University, and Massachusetts General Hospital, NESA faculty will weigh in on the efficacy of acupuncture, tai chi and Chinese herbal medicine in treating chronic conditions such as hypertension and heart failure. Certain balance disorders and repetitive stress injuries are also being studied.

According to NESA's interim president, Evelyn Fowler, studying complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) using accepted scientific methods is necessary in order for the Western medical community to accept and validate this field. "As Oriental medicine has become more acceptable and sought out by consumers, the Western science world is saying, 'they must be doing something right'. That's why we need this research."

"This kind of collaborative exchange between practitioners of Oriental and Western medicine, both in the collection of scientific data and in the learning opportunities, is exciting and timely. The ultimate goal is to give teams of practitioners the broadest range of options for treating any number of conditions," says Wayne.

Along with Wayne, NESA faculty and staff participating in the stroke study are Xiaoming Cheng, Zhenzhen Zhang, Rosa Schnyer, Barbara Parton, Peter Valasketgis, John Zhang, Diane Iuliano, and Akira Noai. Other key collaborators include Drs. David Krebs and Stephen Parker from Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Joel Stein from Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Dr. Ted Kaptchuk from the Harvard Medical School.

About NESA: Founded in 1975 by James Tin Yau So, NESA was at the forefront of the exploding growth in complimentary and alternative medical practice in the U.S. The only accredited acupuncture and oriental medical school in New England, NESA enrolls 250-270 students. Students must have a bachelor's degree to be admitted and the school grants two masters degrees: the Master of Acupuncture (M.Ac.) and the Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MAOM). Each program takes at least three years to complete. The average age of NESA students is 34; the age range is 20 to 60. Their backgrounds include lay, accounting, medicine, nursing, and massage therapy. Recent trends show more younger students are choosing acupuncture as a career, further evidence of the "mainstreaming" of CAM.