Kindo Center

Acupuncture for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common job-related injuries and is responsible for the highest number of days lost among all work related injuries.  It is the reason for over two million visits to physicians’ offices and approximately 465,000 carpal tunnel release operations each year, making it the most frequent surgery of the hand and wrist.

Acupuncture is extremely effective in treating carpal tunnel syndrome; eliminating the need for surgery or the use of anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids.  In fact, one the most common reasons that people get acupuncture is for repetitive stress injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome.  Recent studies even suggest that acupuncture may be more effective then corticosteroids when it comes to treating CTS.

WHAT IS CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME?

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in the wrist made up of ligaments and bones.  The median nerve and tendons that connect the fingers to the muscles of the forearm pass through this tightly spaced tunnel.

Carpal tunnel syndrome, also known as median nerve entrapment, occurs when swelling or irritation of the nerve or tendons in the carpal tunnel results in pressure on the median nerve.  The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers, as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move.

Symptoms usually start gradually with frequent burning, tingling, or numbness in the palm of the hand and the fingers, especially the thumb, index, and middle fingers.  The symptoms often appear during the night.  As symptoms worsen, people might feel pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm during the day.  Decreased grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist, grasp small objects, or perform other manual tasks.  If not properly treated, CTS can cause irreversible nerve damage and permanent deterioration of muscle tissue.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME WITH ACUPUNCTURE

From an Oriental medicine perspective, CTS is seen as a disruption of the flow of Qi and Blood within the area and associated with Cold, Dampness, and Wind penetrating the muscles and sinews of the wrist.  Acupuncture points, stretching exercises, herbal remedies, and nutritional supplements are chosen to treat accordingly.

As well as reducing the swelling, inflammation, and pain in the wrist; acupuncture addresses any headaches, neck pain, shoulder stiffness, and sleeping problems that often accompany this condition.

Your treatment may also take into account any underlying conditions that contribute to the development CTS including obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid problems, diabetes, hormonal changes of pregnancy, and menopause.

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Pregnancy Hormone hCG Protects Against Breast Cancer Even In Short-term Treatments

One of the most effective ways to prevent breast cancer is through a full-term pregnancy at an early age.  Studies out of Fox Chase Cancer Center have linked this protective effect to the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone produced by the placenta to maintain the early stages of pregnancy.  Their findings in an animal model of breast cancer showed that rats exposed to hCG over a 21 day period (the length of rat pregnancy), are far less likely to develop breast cancer when exposed to a known carcinogen.

At the 100^th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research Johana Vanegas, M.D., a research associate for Fox Chase, presented findings suggesting that even a much shorter exposure to hCG can prevent breast cancer in rats.

Vanegas is a member of the laboratory of Jose Russo, M.D. and Irma Russo, M.D., who were the first scientists to propose hCG an anti-cancer agent.  Their studies have shown that hCG offers lasting, protective changes within breast tissue.  Clinical trials of hCG in women, based on their work, are currently underway at three locations, nationally, including Fox Chase Cancer Center, and in one European country.  The hCG hormone is an FDA-approved agent frequently used for fertility treatments.

“The ability to replicate the naturally protective effects of pregnancy against breast cancer will hold a significant public health value,” says Vanegas.  “In order to translate our finding into humans, a clinical trial with hCG as a preventive agent against breast cancer, is already on-going in pre-menopausal women with no previous pregnancy.”

Vanegas and her colleagues studied virgin female rats, which had been divided into four groups: a control group, which did not receive hCG, and three groups that received hCG for five, ten, or fifteen consecutive days.  Following the treatment, each rat received a single dose of a breast cancer-inducing agent.

According to Vanegas, 90.9 percent of the rats in the control group developed breast tumors, compared to 71.4 percent, 57.1 percent, and 15.4 percent in the five, ten, and fifteen day-treated animals, respectively.  In addition, the average tumor size was also smaller in all the animals that received any of the three hCG treatments.

“The animals that received hCG, but still developed breast cancer did so much later than the control group, which further demonstrates the protective effects of hCG,” Vaneges says.  “While we don’t foresee side effects among humans using hCG, it is helpful to know that even smaller doses confer benefits on breast tissue.”

Funding for this research comes from grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

Source: Greg Lester, Fox Chase Cancer Center

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