Objectives: Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is widely used in breast cancer, but there is no consensus on the Chinese medicine (CM) syndromes in the different conventional treatment stages (preoperative, postoperative, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and endocrine therapy) of early breast cancer. This Delphi study aimed to achieve expert consensus on the CM syndromes, signs and symptoms, and the Chinese herbal formulae for early breast cancer. Methods: Thirty senior CM clinicians with expertise in managing breast cancer were enrolled. The syndromes selected by ≥50% of experts and the corresponding most common Chinese herbal formulae were considered a consensus. Consensus on signs and symptoms was defined as a median score ≥4 (the item was important or very important) and ≥70% of experts rating the sign or symptom as 4 (important) or 5 (very important) on a 5-point Likert scale. Results: Three survey rounds were conducted from 15 October 2021 to 10 March 2022. Consensus was reached with 3 syndromes confirmed for each treatment stage. Several syndromes, such as dual deficiency of qi and Blood, were considered common to multiple treatment stages. Some important signs and symptoms were presented in multiple treatment stages (eg, shortage of qi in the radiation therapy and endocrine therapy stages). Conclusions: This Delphi study achieved consensus on the most common CM syndromes, corresponding signs and symptoms, and the most common formulae in each treatment stage of early breast cancer, providing an evidence-based approach for future clinical practice.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of implementing a manual therapy technique (muscle energy technique, MET) protocol in a hospital pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program for patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods: Participants aged 40 years and over, with moderate to severe COPD, were recruited into this 12 -week study. The primary outcome measures were feasibility (acceptability of the intervention and atten-dance/adherence to the trial) and safety (adverse events, AEs). All participants received the MET and PR therapies. Participants and assessors were unblinded. Semi-standardized MET was delivered on 6 occa-sions (a maximum of once per week) at the hospital directly before a PR session. Participants undertook PR sessions as per the hospital program at a frequency of two days per week for 8 weeks. Participants were contacted 4 weeks after their final MET treatment via a telephone call to assess acceptability of the intervention.Results: Thirty-three participants were enrolled, with a median age of 74 years (range 45-89 years). The median number of MET sessions that participants attended was 5 (range 0-6) out of a possible 6 sessions (83% attendance). At follow-up, participants overwhelmingly enjoyed the MET treatment with some sub-jectively reporting improved breathing. There were no major AEs related to the intervention, with the majority of AEs classified as expected events related to COPD exacerbations.Conclusion: It is feasible to implement a manual therapy protocol using MET as an adjunct to PR in a hos-pital setting. Recruitment rates were satisfactory and there were no AEs related to the MET component of the intervention. Please cite this article as: Baxter DA, Coyle ME, Hill CJ, Worsnop C, Shergis JL. Muscle energy technique for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A feasibility study. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(3): 245-253.& COPY; 2023 Shanghai Yueyang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. All rights reserved.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effect of acupuncture on symptoms and health-related quality of life in patients with endometriosis.Methods: Nine biomedical databases were searched to April 2022 to identify randomized controlled trials of acupuncture and/or moxibustion used alone or as adjunct to guideline-recommended pharmacotherapy for the treatment of endometriosis. One reviewer extracted data and another verified the data. A random effects model was used to calculate mean differences.Results: Fifteen trials involving 1018 patients met the inclusion criteria, but diversity in comparisons and outcome measures prevented meta-analysis. Compared to sham acupuncture, manual acupuncture was more effective at reducing dysmenorrhea VAS pain score (mean difference [MD] - 2.40, 95 % CI [- 2.80, - 2.00]; moderate certainty evidence), pelvic pain VAS score (MD - 2.65, 95 % CI [- 3.40, - 1.90]; high certainty evidence) and dyspareunia VAS scores (MD - 2.88, [- 3.83, - 1.93]), lessened the size of ovarian cyst (MD 3.88, 95 % CI [- 7.06, - 0.70]), and improved quality of life. Compared to conventional therapy, manual acupuncture plus conventional therapy and warm needle alone resulted in greater improvements in quality of life than conventional therapy. Among the six studies that reported safety, fewer adverse events were reported in participants who received acupuncture or moxibustion.Conclusions: Low to moderate certainty evidence from single studies showed that manual acupuncture may improve pain-related symptoms and quality of life; however, there is insufficient evidence on the overall effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion for endometriosis.

Background Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome differentiation is one of the fundamental principles that guide the practice of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). CHM has been widely used among breast cancer patients. Contemporary literature varies in syndrome diagnosis, and there is a need to standardize syndrome differentiation according to the different stages of breast cancer treatment. This multicenter clinical study aims to identify the CM syndromes and the clinical signs and symptoms in women with early breast cancer. Methods Participants who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were interviewed during the five treatment stages: preoperative, postoperative, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and endocrine therapy. Patient demographic data and CM syndrome (as recorded by the treating CM clinicians in medical records) were gathered. Signs and symptoms were analyzed using descriptive statistics to derive the standardized CM syndromes using hierarchical cluster analysis. Results The analysis included 964 interviews with 620 participants enrolled between April 29, 2020 and May 30, 2021 from eight participating hospitals in China. The two most frequent syndromes recorded in medical records were dual deficiency of qi and blood, and dual deficiency of qi and yin during all but the preoperative stage. The symptoms of lassitude, lack of strength, and insomnia were common in all but the preoperative stage. Cluster analysis identified two clusters in the preoperative stage that most closely resembled the syndrome diagnoses of liver stagnation with congealing phlegm, and dual deficiency of the liver and kidney. Two clusters—dual deficiency of qi and blood, and dual deficiency of qi and yin—were common to multiple treatment stages. The syndrome cluster of spleen and stomach disharmony existed in both the postoperative and chemotherapy stages. Cluster analysis of the radiation therapy stage identified the unique syndrome of yin deficiency with fire toxin, while the endocrine therapy included the syndromes of liver depression and kidney deficiency. Conclusions This multicenter clinical study showed consistency between results from cluster analysis and the most common syndromes recorded in the medical records. Findings from this clinical study will be further validated in a Delphi study to standardize CM syndromes for various stages of breast cancer treatment. Clinical Trial Registration www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx, identifier ChiCTR2000032497.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture compared to placebo acupuncture for women undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A search was conducted in seven English-language biomedical databases from their inception to 3 April 2019 to identify studies evaluating acupuncture as an adjunct to IVF treatment. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared acupuncture with placebo acupuncture using a non-invasive placebo acupuncture device in women undergoing a fresh or frozen IVF cycle were eligible, as were studies that tested placebo acupuncture as the intervention. Outcomes were clinical pregnancy rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate, live birth rate and adverse events. Results: Eight RCTs involving 3607 women were included. Studies were judged to be low risk for most of the risk of bias domains. Acupuncture around the time of embryo transfer was not significantly different to placebo acupuncture in terms of the clinical pregnancy rate (6 RCTs, 2473 women, risk ratio (RR) = 0.99 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.88, 1.11), I-2 = 51%, moderate certainty evidence), ongoing pregnancy rate (4 RCTs, 1459 women, RR = 0.88 (95% CI = 0.75, 1.02), I-2 = 50%, moderate certainty evidence), miscarriage rate (4 RCTs, 502 women, RR = 1.23 (95% CI = 0.89, 1.71), I-2 = 30%, high certainty evidence) or live birth rate (4 RCTs, 1835 women, RR = 0.87 (95% CI = 0.75, 1.01), I-2 = 0%, high certainty evidence). Outcomes with placebo acupuncture were not significantly different to usual care. Adverse events relating to acupuncture, such as discomfort and bruising, were mild to moderate. Conclusion: Acupuncture administered around the time of embryo transfer did not have a statistically significant effect on IVF outcomes compared with placebo acupuncture.

Background: Chinese medicine (CM) has been widely used for women's health, including those with early breast cancer. Contemporary literature varies in descriptions of the CM syndromes that are critical for determining CM treatment options for breast cancer patients. However, the corresponding syndromes have not been standardized to align with the conventional medicine treatment stages. This review aimed to address this knowledge gap to enhance the quality and consistency of CM interventions for early breast cancer patients. Methods: In total, eight Chinese and English language databases were searched, and textbooks and clinical care documents were gathered. Sources were classified according to five treatment stages: preoperative, postoperative, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and endocrine therapy. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the syndromes, and hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted to investigate clusters of signs and symptoms. Results: The CM syndrome of dual deficiency of qi and Blood was one of the most common syndromes across all treatment stages, whereas lack of strength and lassitude were the most common clinical presentations throughout all stages, except the preoperative stage. Cluster analyses identify three or four syndromes in each treatment stage. Cluster results for the preoperative stage were: Blood stasis, Liver depression and qi stagnation, and Kidney yin deficiency. Dual deficiency of qi and Blood existed at different stages except for the preoperative stage. In the postoperative stage and chemotherapy stages, some symptoms were categorized into clusters that related to the Spleen and Stomach. Syndromes such as yin deficiency with fire toxin and yin deficiency with fluid depletion were unique to the radiation therapy stage. Clusters for endocrine therapy stage included the dual deficiency of Spleen and Kidney, Liver depression and qi stagnation, and Kidney yin deficiency. Conclusions: Systematic review of the contemporary literature for early breast cancer revealed that the most frequently seen CM syndromes and cluster results have some similarities but some important distinctions. Clinical data are needed to confirm whether the syndromes described in contemporary literature reflect those seen in women with early breast cancer.

ObjectivesThis study sought to determine the most common oral herbal formula for menopausal symptoms in classical Chinese medicine textbooks and investigate its clinical effectiveness and potential mechanisms of action.MethodsThe most common formula used for menopause-like symptoms in past eras was identified from the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was undertaken and findings from relevant experimental studies were summarized.ResultsLicorice (Glycyrrhiza spp.) and jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) formula (LJF) was used in 63 of the 175 citations (36%) in the classical literature. Evidence from four RCTs showed that while LJF may improve sleep symptoms, there is insufficient evidence to provide recommendations for clinical practice. Experimental studies showed sedative, antidepressant-like, estrogenic and antiprogestogenic actions.ConclusionsLJF has a long history of use for menopause-like symptoms, but further research is needed to confirm its clinical effects and guide clinical decision-making.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presents with physical, emotional and social difficulties that affect quality of life. Multimodal management includes both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies, and pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) plays an important role. Recent research has suggested that manual therapies may improve perceptions of dyspnea for people with COPD. Focus group interviews were conducted as part of a mixed methods study to assess the feasibility of implementing a manual therapy technique—muscle energy technique (MET)—as an adjunct to PR for people with moderate to severe COPD. Focus group interviews were conducted to examine trial participants views of the intervention and the trial design. A thematic analysis was undertaken to explore the data. Twelve participants with moderate to severe COPD participated in three focus groups. Participants were motivated to participate in the trial to be proactive about their health. They perceived MET to be a gentle, comfortable form of stretching that allowed them to ‘breathe easier’ and prepared them for PR. A small number of participants reported mild muscular discomfort during MET, but this was short-lasting and was not bothersome. Participants enjoyed the one-on-one contact with researchers and learned more about their breathing while performing spirometric testing. Most participants wanted longer and more frequent MET sessions, and some requested ‘homework’ stretching exercises. The findings of this study show that a manual therapy intervention was received well by participants in a clinical trial setting. A small number of participants reported mild musculoskeletal discomfort in relation to the MET treatment. Participant preferences for additional and longer treatment sessions should be carefully considered against available resources in future clinical trials. ANZCTR, ACTRN12618000801213. Registered 11 May 2018 - Retrospectively registered. http://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=374643&isReview=true

Background: Psoriasis vulgaris and chronic urticaria are common skin conditions with a significant health burden. Achieving long-term control remains a challenge, and some patients choose Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) to meet this need. Little is known about the motivators and experiences of using CHM for these skin conditions. Objectives: To determine the motivators for choosing CHM, and experience of using CHM for psoriasis vulgaris and chronic urticaria. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with participants who had previously used CHM for these conditions. Interviews were transcribed for data analysis. Results: Twenty participants completed the interviews in Guangzhou (n = 16), China, and Melbourne (n = 4), Australia. Motivators included wanting an alternative to conventional medicine, beliefs about CHM and previous experience. Participants expected that CHM would be safer and could prevent relapse; this expectation was met for some participants. Preparing CHM decoctions was onerous, and CHM granules were more convenient. Conclusion: Beliefs, previous experience of using CHM, desire to prevent relapse, and safety are important motivators for choosing CHM in people with psoriasis vulgaris and chronic urticaria. Further clinical evidence is required to enable patients to make informed clinical decisions. Patient preferences should be considered in the context of available evidence when prescribing CHM.

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & GynaecologyVolume 127, Issue 11 p. 1441-1441 BJOG Exchange Authors’ reply re: Acupuncture for recurrent urinary tract infection in women: A systematic review and meta-analysis Meaghan E Coyle, Corresponding Author Meaghan E Coyle meaghan.coyle@rmit.edu.au China–Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorAnthony L Zhang, Anthony L Zhang The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorCharlie CL Xue, Charlie CL Xue China–Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, ChinaSearch for more papers by this author Meaghan E Coyle, Corresponding Author Meaghan E Coyle meaghan.coyle@rmit.edu.au China–Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorAnthony L Zhang, Anthony L Zhang The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorCharlie CL Xue, Charlie CL Xue China–Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, ChinaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 28 July 2020 https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.16384Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume127, Issue11October 2020Pages 1441-1441 RelatedInformation

The combination of two or more Chinese medicine therapies is common in clinical practice. Studies were assessed against rigorous inclusion criteria and 33 randomised controlled trials were selected for inclusion. The most common combination of interventions was acupuncture plus plum-blossom needle therapy and cupping. Analysis of results found some combinations of therapy to be beneficial and combination therapies appear to be well-tolerated by people with herpes zoster.

Many of the herbs frequently used in clinical trials have been evaluated in experimental research. Eleven of the most frequently used herbs in randomised controlled trials included in the previous chapter were reviewed to examine their pharmacological actions. Experimental research has shown that herbs may exert their actions through antiviral and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, which are important in the treatment of herpes zoster.

The classical Chinese medicine literature provides a valuable resource for the prevention and management of disease. This chapter describes the findings of a systematic evaluation of the classical Chinese medicine literature for herpes zoster. A search was conducted on the Zhong Hua Yi Dian, one of the largest collections of extant medical works available, and a total of 65 citations describing the treatment of herpes zoster with Chinese medicine were identified. Characteristics of search terms, aetiology and pathogenesis, and clinical management with Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture techniques are described.

The efficacy of acupuncture and related treatments has been examined by many clinical studies and these findings have been published in English and Chinese language scientific journals. This chapter provides an assessment of the evidence for acupuncture therapies from clinical studies. An extensive search of English and Chinese language databases identified more than 36,000 citations which were screened against inclusion criteria. A total of 14 clinical studies were included for review. Their analyses showed that acupuncture may reduce post-herpetic neuralgia in the short term.