List of blog posts and annoucements - Almond Wellness Centre

新型冠状病毒 – 重要通告

by Almond Wellness Centre | Uncategorized

就诊建议和忠告

如果您：

在14天内到过COVID-19疫情风险较高国家或地区；
或在14天内出现最后一次接触确诊病例；

您需要在14天潜伏期过后才来我们诊所看病。

而如果您已经有发烧、咳嗽、喉咙痛、疲劳或气短等症状

请暂时不要来我们诊所,而是先预约您的GP或本地医院急诊科就诊，进行紧急评估。

请浏览 www.health.gov.au/covid19-travellers 了解当前中高度疫情风险国家列表。

在去诊所或医院之前，应先打电话

告知您曾到过的地方，或者自己可能接触过冠状病毒疑似病例。必须在家中或医疗机构中保持隔离，直到公共卫生机构通知您可以安全如常地活动。

认为自己可能与冠状病毒确诊病例有过密切接触的人士也应该监测自己的健康状况，并寻求紧急医疗救助。

For more information please call 1800 675 398

Coronavirus disease COVID-19 important notice. Last update : 24/03/2020

by Almond Wellness Centre | Clinic management

Consultation Advice

Dear patient,

Within 14 days, if you：

left country or region that is at higher risk for COVID-19, or
contacted of a confirmed case

You should wait until you have passed 14 days incubation period, before come to see our practitioners.

Check https://www.health.gov.au/covid19-travellers for the list of at-risk countries

If you have already developed symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, tiredness or shortness of breath,

Please DO NOT come to see our practitioners. Instead you should first arrange to see your local GP or visit local hospital doctor for urgent assessment.

Call before you visit your GP or hospital

If you develop symptom, you should telephone the health clinic or hospital

before you arrive and
tell them your travel history, or that you may have been in contact with a potential case of coronavirus.

You must remain isolated either in your home or a healthcare setting until public health authorities inform you it is safe for you to return to your usual activities.

For more information please call the dedicated hotline on 1800 675 398

—– update 24th March 2020 —-

Dear patients,

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.

Our acupuncture and chiropractic clinic are remaining open at the moment.

As always,

Safety is our first priority.

WE HAVE COMMITTED:

High standard infection control to be practiced in our clinics.

• Masks offered to all and to use when you entering our clinics;

• Hand sanitizers for all to use.

• Single used disposable cover sheets are used in all treatment rooms and tables.

• Hourly cleaning of all public areas.

For any respiratory conditions, please DO NOT come to visit us in the clinic. We are offering phone/video consultation and herbal prescriptions.

Herbs can will be collected by your friends or family, or will be dropped in your car while you are waiting in the car park.

BEFORE YOUR VISIT:

If you or a close contact have any of the below:

• cough, fever, sore throat or runny nose

• returned from overseas in the past 14 days

• any contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 14 days,

Please call us so we can reschedule your appointment.

We are offering phone/video consultation and herbal prescriptions for fertility and other general conditions.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, as this is the best way to stop transmission of this virus.

DURING YOUR VISIT:

• If you arrive early for your appointment, please consider remaining in your car until much closer to your appointment time.

• To reduce the numbers in our waiting areas, please don’t bring other children/family members into our clinic.

• Use the masks provided, and please use hand sanitizer/alcohol sprays upon arrival.

• If you need to sneeze or cough, please cover your mouth and nose with tissues or your upper sleeve or elbow. Please dispose of the tissue in the bins provided. Wash or sanitize your hands afterwards immediately.

• Please wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilets.

AFTER YOUR VISIT:

If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and may have been infected around the time of your visit, please inform us.

Your confidentially will be protected.

We are reviewing these steps regularly in conjunction with current advice from the Australian Government and Public Health authorities. We are committed to the safety and well-being of all our patients, their families and our staff. We thank you for your kind understanding and help to keep everyone safe.

last update : 24/03/2020

Researches Acupuncture Fertility IVF Support

by Almond Wellness Centre | Acupuncture ivf research, Fertility, Research

Reviews of Acupuncture Chinese medicine for IVF Support

The effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019 Jun 14;19(1):131.

Authors conclusions:

Our analysis finds a benefit of acupuncture for IVF outcomes in women with a history of unsuccessful IVF attempt, and number of acupuncture treatments is a potential influential factor. Given the poor reporting and methodological flaws of existing studies, studies with larger scales and better methodologies are needed to verify these findings.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31200701

Impact of whole systems traditional Chinese medicine on in-vitro fertilization outcomes
Reproductive BioMedicine Online (2015) 30, 602–612

In this retrospective cohort study, 1231 IVF patient records were reviewed to assess the effect of adjuvant WS-TCM on IVF outcomes compared among three groups:
IVF with no additional treatment;
IVF and elective acupuncture on day of embryo transfer; or
IVF and elective WS-TCM.

The primary outcome was live birth.

Of 1069 non-donor cycles, WS-TCM was associated with greater odds of live birth compared with IVF alone or embryo transfer with acupuncture only.

Of 162 donor cycles, WS-TCM was associated with increased live births compared with all groups (odds Ratio [OR] 3.72; 95% CI 1.05 to 13.24, unadjusted) or embryo transfer with acupuncture only (OR 4.09; 95% CI: 1.02 to 16.38, unadjusted).

Overall, IVF with adjuvant WS-TCM (Whole Systems Traditional Chinese Medicine) was associated with greater odds of live birth in donor and non-donor cycles.

These results should be taken cautiously as more rigorous research is needed.
https://www.rbmojournal.com/article/S1472-6483(15)00092-9/pdf

Effects of Chinese herbs combined with in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation on infertility: a clinical randomized controlled trial.

J Tradit Chin Med. 2014 Jun;34(3):267-73.

CONCLUSION:
Our findings indicate that Chinese herbs increase endometrial thickness, improve the quality of fertility and embryo, and promote embryonic nidation, thus enhancing the success rate of in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transplantation cycle. Using Chinese herbs improves the outcomes and safety of assisted reproductive technologies.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24992752

Chinese herbal medicine for infertility

Chinese herbal medicine for female infertility: An updated meta-analysis

Complement Ther Med. 2015 Feb;23(1):116-28.

Forty RCTs involving 4247 women with infertility were included in this systematic review.

Author’s conclusions:
Our review suggests that management of female infertility with Chinese herbal medicine can improve pregnancy rates 2-fold within a 3–6 month period compared with Western medical fertility drug therapy.

In addition, fertility indicators such as ovulation rates, cervical mucus score, biphasic basal body temperature, and appropriate thickness of the endometrial lining were positively influenced by CHM therapy, indicating an ameliorating physiological effect conducive for a viable pregnancy.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229914001915

Ovarian reserve

Traditional Chinese Medicine for Diminished Ovarian Reserve: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Chinese Herbal Medicines, Volume 6, Issue 2, May 2014, Pages 93-102

Seventeen randomized controlled trials involving 1174 patients were included. Meta-analysis indicated that TCM was superior to Western medicine (WM) in reducing basal serum FSH level, and the effect was more obvious two months after the last, and increasing antral follicle count. The review also revealed the positive role of CMM as an adjuvant to IVF-ET in improving pregnancy rate.

Author’s conclusions:
TCM, with its unique way of replenishing the kidney, may provide an effective and safe alternative therapy to patients with DOR.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674638414600149

Dysfunction of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis

Acupuncture normalizes dysfunction of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9330669

PCOS research

Acupuncture for polycystic ovarian syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Medicine: June 2017 – Volume 96 – Issue 23 – p e7066

We found a low level of evidence that acupuncture is more likely to improve ovulation rate (MD 0.35, 95% CI: 0.14–0.56) and menstruation rate (MD 0.50, 95% CI: 0.32–0.68) compared with no acupuncture. We found statistically significant pooled benefits of acupuncture treatment as an adjunct to medication in luteinizing hormone (LH), LH/follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio, testosterone, fasting insulin, and pregnancy rates, but the level of evidence was low/very low.

https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/fulltext/2017/06090/Acupuncture_for_polycystic_ovarian_syndrome__A.18.aspx

Clinical therapeutic effects of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine on infertility of polycystic ovary syndrome in the patients with ovulation induction with letrozole

Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2018 Jan 12;38(1):27-32.

Author’s conclusions:
For PCOS infertility patients receiving ovulation induction with letrozole, the combined treatment with the Chinese herbal formula for regulating menstruation and removing phlegm and EA remarkably improves the menstrual cycle, reduces body weight and the levels of LH, LH/FSH, T and AMH, improves ovulation and pregnancy rates. This therapy does not induce adverse reactions and the therapeutic effects are better than the simple application of letrozole or the combined therapy of letrozole and Chinese herbal medicine.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29354933

Endometrial receptivity

Acupuncture in improving endometrial receptivity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicinevolume 19, Article number: 61 (2019)

Author’s conclusion:

The efficacy and safety of acupuncture on key outcomes in women with low ER is statistically significant, but the level of most evidence was very low or low. More large-scale, long-term RCTs with rigorous methodologies are needed.

Women’s Sex Hormone

A Literature Review of Women’s Sex Hormone Changes by Acupuncture Treatment: Analysis of Human and Animal Studies.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Nov 15;2018:3752723

Acupuncture articles including analysis of sex hormones were searched in electronic databases from inception to June 2018. The methodological quality was assessed using modified CAMRADES tool. A total of 23 articles were selected and analyzed.
In the results, overall studies showed that acupuncture increases estrogen, especially estradiol, progesterone, prolactin, and other hormones. Estradiol level was increased in most of studies except 3 studies which resulted in decreased level or not meaningful change. Two studies showed increase of FSH and LH whereas it was decreased in other studies. Other hormones were mostly increased by acupuncture.

CONCLUSION:

This study possibly indicates that acupuncture changes sex hormone in various gynecological conditions in women.

Male infertility sperm quality

The Therapeutic Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Poor Semen Quality in Infertile Males

J Clin Med. 2018 Sep; 7(9): 239.

To further understand the effects of TCM on semen quality, we retrospectively enrolled patients with male infertility and poor semen quality at the Tainan Municipal Hospital in Taiwan between 2013 and 2016. Semen quality analysis in accordance with the WHO criteria is an essential step in the evaluation of male fertility status. Associations between the semen parameters and body mass index, smoking status, alcohol use, duration of infertility, and age were also analyzed.
A total of 126 male infertility patients with abnormal semen analysis were included in this study: 50 TCM users and 13 TCM non-users. The basic characteristics of the two groups were not significantly different.

TCM users account for 92.5% of the total semen improvement subjects.

In conclusion, TCM supplementation may have a beneficial role as improving sperm quality for infertility patients.

Effect of garlic (Allium sativum) on male fertility: a systematic review

A total of 18 experimental studies were included in the study. Thirteen studies evaluated garlic and 5 studies compared garlic effect with adriamycin, titanium dioxide, furan, vitamin E, N-acetylcysteine and cadmium. All studies were conducted in in vivo condition. The results of the studies indicated the potential effect of garlic on enhancing fertility and spermatogenesis, increasing the level of testosterone and improving the testicular structure.

Conclusion: Garlic can increase fertility probably due to its antioxidant properties. However, more clinical trials are recommended.

www.herbmedpharmacol.com/PDF/jhp-5336

The effects of traditional Korean medicine in infertile male patients with poor semen quality: A retrospective study

J Herbmed Pharmacol. 2018; 7(4): 306-312.

Of the seventeen patients who continued unprotected intercourse after TKM treatment, twelve had spouses that subsequently conceived spontaneously (70.5%) within a year after TKM. Two patients had babies after intra uterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF), respectively.

Authors conclusions

TKM may provide an effective option for infertile male patients with poor semen quality. Further prospective studies with larger populations as well as randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm these results.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2016.01.007

Evaluation of the Spermatogenic Activity of Polyherbal Formulation in Oligospermic Males

Polyherbal formulation (PHF) is one of these herbal amalgams that can be used to treat sexual dysfunction including erectile dysfunction, impotence, ejaculation dysfunction, and hypogonadism. The pilot study was aimed at evaluating the capacity of PHF in enhancing the spermatogenic potential of oligospermic patients.

Authors conclusions

PHF could improve the quantity and quality of semen in a statistically significant manner in oligospermia male adults between the ages of 22 to 40 years, in comparison to the placebo, when used for 90 days, at 750 mg/d in three doses. PHF does also improve the serum testosterone; LH; and FSH level in a majority of PHF treated males, in comparison to the placebo.

The results suggested that the prepared PHF may be a new auspicious novel therapeutic amalgamation, which can be used to improve the spermatogenic potential of many oligospermic infertile men.

This spermatogenic property may be due to possible synergistic action of selected herbs’ parts used in the preparation of PHF. However, further investigations are warranted to confirm and elucidate the effect of PHF on semen parameters.

Traditional Chinese Medicine as a Remedy for Male Infertility: A Review

World J Mens Health. 2019 May; 37(2): 175–185.

Overall, the effectiveness of TCM for Male Infertility has been confirmed by numerous studies, but many problems exist in these studies. The advantages of TCM and the differences between TCM and Western medicine, as well as unsolved problems and solutions, are summarized.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6479084/#B55

Effect of Chinese Herbal Medicine on Male Infertility.

Int Rev Neurobiol. 2017;135:297-311

In this chapter we summarized recent development in basic research and clinical studies of CHM in treating male infertility. It has showed that CHM improved sperm motility and quality, increased sperm count and rebalanced inadequate hormone levels, and adjusted immune functions leading to the increased number of fertility. Further, CHM in combination with conventional therapies improved efficacy of conventional treatments. More studies are needed to indentify the new drugs from CHM and ensure safety, efficacy, and consistency of CHM.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28807164

Acupuncture Chinese herbal medicine for endometriosis pain – latest research

by Almond Wellness Centre | Uncategorized

PLoS One. 2017; 12(10): e0186616.

Effects of acupuncture for the treatment of endometriosis-related pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis – 2017

Author’s conclusions

Acupuncture can alleviate the pain of dysmenorrhoea and reduce peripheral blood CA-125. As a result, the therapy could be applied as a complementary treatment for endometriosis-related pain.

However, few randomised, blinded clinical trials have addressed the efficacy of acupuncture in treating endometriosis-related pain. Nonetheless, the current literature consistently finds that acupuncture yields better reductions in pain and serum CA-125 levels than do control treatments, regardless of the control intervention used.

To confirm this finding, additional studies with proper controls, blinding methods, and adequate sample sizes are needed.

Cochrane

Database of Systematic Reviews

Chinese herbal medicine for endometriosis (Review 2012)

Main results

Two Chinese RCTs involving 158 women were included in this review. Although both these trials described adequate methodology they were of limited quality. Neither trial compared CHM with

placebo treatment. There was no evidence of a significant difference in rates of symptomatic relief between CHM and gestrinone administered subsequent to laparoscopic surgery (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.18). There was no significant difference between the CHM and gestrinone groups with regard to the total pregnancy rate (69.6% versus 59.1%; RR 1.18, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.59, one RCT).

CHM administered orally and then in conjunction with a herbal enema resulted in a greater proportion of women obtaining symptomatic relief than with danazol (RR 5.06, 95% CI 1.28 to 20.05; RR 5.63

, 95% CI 1.47 to 21.54, respectively). Oral plus enema administration of CHM resulted in a greater reduction in average dysmenorrhoea pain scores than did danazol (mean difference (MD) -2.90, 95%

CI -4.55 to -1.25). For lumbosacral pain, rectal discomfort, or vaginal nodules tenderness, there was no significant difference between CHM and danazol. Overall, 100% of women in both studies showed some improvement in their symptoms. Women taking CHM had fewer side effects than those taking either gestrinone or danazol.

Authors’ conclusions

Post-surgical administration of CHM may have comparable benefits to gestrinone. Oral CHM may have a better overall treatment effect than danazol and it may be more effective in relieving dysmenorrhoea when used in conjunction with a CHM enema. CHM appears to have fewer side effects than either gestrinone or danazol. However, more rigorous research is required to accurately assess the potential role of CHM in treating endometriosis.

P L A I N L A N G U A G E S U M M A R Y

Chinese herbs for endometriosis

Endometriosis is a common gynaecological condition causing menstrual and pelvic pain. Treatment involves surgery and hormonal drugs, with potentially unpleasant side effects and high rates of reoccurrence of endometriosis. The two small studies in this review suggest that Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) may be as effective as gestrinone and may be more effective than danazol in relieving

endometriosis-related pain, with fewer side effects than experienced with conventional treatment. However, the two trials included in this review were small and of limited quality so these findings must be interpreted cautiously. Better quality randomised controlled trials are needed to investigate apossible role for CHM in the treatment of endometriosis.

Acupuncture for pain in endometriosis (Review 2011)

Main results

Twenty-four studies were identified that involved acupuncture for endometriosis; however only one trial, enrolling 67 participants, met all the inclusion criteria. The single included trial defined pain scores and cure rates according to the Guideline for Clinical Research on New Chinese Medicine. Dysmenorrhoea scores were lower in the acupuncture group (mean difference -4.81 points, 95% confidence interval -6.25 to -3.37, P < 0.00001) using the 15-point Guideline for Clinical Research on New Chinese Medicine for Treatment of Pelvic Endometriosis scale. The total effective rate (’cured’, ’significantly effective’ or ’effective’) for auricular acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine was 91.9% and 60%, respectively (risk ratio 3.04, 95% confidence interval 1.65 to 5.62, P = 0.0004).

The improvement rate did not differ significantly between auricular acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for cases of mild to moderate dysmenorrhoea, whereas auricular acupuncture did significantly reduce pain in cases of severe dysmenorrhoea. Data were not available for secondary outcomes measures.

Authors’ conclusions

The evidence to support the effectiveness of acupuncture for pain in endometriosis is limited, based on the results of only a single study that was included in this review. This review highlights the necessity for developing future studies that are well-designed, double-blinded, randomised controlled trials that assess various types of acupuncture in comparison to conventional therapies.

P L A I N L A N G U A G E S U M M A R Y

Acupuncture for pain in endometriosis

Endometriosis is a gynaecological disease that causes chronic pelvic pain, most notably painful menstruation, as the most common complaint. Acupuncture is frequently used to treat both pain and various gynaecological conditions. This review examined the effectiveness of acupuncture for reducing pain in endometriosis; however only one study met our inclusion criteria.

The data from the included study, involving 67 women, indicated that ear acupuncture is more effective compared to Chinese herbal medicine for reducing menstrual pain. The study did not report whether participants suffered any side effects from their treatments. Lager, well-designed studies comparing acupuncture with conventional therapies are necessary to confirm these results.

Effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine for cancer palliative care: overview of systematic reviews with meta-analyses

by Almond Wellness Centre | Research

Overview of systematic reviews with meta-analyses

Scientific Reports volume5, Article number: 18111 (2015)

Abstract

Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) are often used in managing cancer related symptoms but their effectiveness and safety is controversial.

We conducted this overview of meta-analyses to summarize evidence on CHM for cancer palliative care. We included systematic reviews (SRs) with meta-analyses of CHM clinical trials on patients diagnosed with any type of cancer.

Methodological quality of included meta-analyses was assessed with the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) Instrument. Fifty-one SRs with meta-analyses were included. They covered patients with lung (20 SRs), gastric (8 SRs), colorectal (6 SRs), liver (6 SRs), breast (2 SRs), cervical (1 SR), esophageal (1 SR), and nasopharyngeal (1 SR) cancers. Six SRs summarized evidence on various types of cancer. Methodological quality of included meta-analyses was not satisfactory.

Overall, favorable therapeutic effects in improving quality of life among cancer patients have been reported. Conflicting evidence exists for the effectiveness of CHM in prolonging survival and in reducing chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy related toxicities. No serious adverse effects were reported in all included studies. Evidence indicated that CHM could be considered as an option for improving quality of life among patients receiving palliative care. It is unclear if CHM may increase survival, or reduce therapy related toxicities.

Evidence showed that the combination of CHM and chemotherapy significantly reduced leucopenia, nausea and vomiting, thrombocytopenia and anemia in NSCLC, gastric cancer patients. It also significantly reduced nausea and vomiting in liver cancer patients. In general, CHM appears to be useful in improving leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and anemia among various types of cancer.

Base on the evidence we identified, CHM may be considered as an adjuvant option to improve QoL among cancer patients.

Chung, V. C.H. et al. Effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine for cancer palliative care: overview of systematic reviews with meta-analyses. Sci. Rep. 5, 18111; doi: 10.1038/srep18111 (2015).

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