Svetlana Wise – published author
In this blog I just wanted to share with those of you who are interested in the research surrounding Scalp Acupuncture. Svetlana Wise (our Acupuncturist & Craniosacral therapist) conducted this scoping review in conjunction with the Department of Advanced Oriental Medicine, Northern College of Acupuncture, York, UK. This research was published in the peer reviewed journal, the ‘Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies’.
Needless to say, but I am incredibly proud and privileged to have her both as my dear wife and as the Acupuncturist and Craniosacral Therapist here at Baks Osteopathy Maidstone.
Here is a link to it if you would like to read the full published article.
Abstract
Scalp acupuncture is a therapeutic procedure that involves inserting needles into the scalp to treat various medical conditions, including pain and neurological and psychological disorders.
The inter-system variability of scalp acupuncture limits secondary analysis and evidence synthesis, delaying its inclusion into evidence-based healthcare policies and establishment as a treatment intervention recognised by Western medicine.
This scoping review aimed to identify the range of scalp acupuncture systems, systematically collect and summarise information on their general, anatomical, and clinical characteristics, and build a framework for understanding scalp acupuncture systems.
This review included all English-language publications on scalp acupuncture applied to treat any health condition in humans. Extensive searches were conducted across bibliographic databases, journals, trial registries, and supplementary sources.
The detailed general, anatomical, and clinical application characteristics of 19 scalp acupuncture systems were extracted. Data were collected and analysed using charting and image manipulation software. Framework synthesis was performed using the Standard International Acupuncture Nomenclature Scalp Acupuncture as an a priori framework.
The review revealed that the heterogeneity related to scalp acupuncture methods can be attributed to the high variability among the theoretical bases of different systems, intersystem mismatch in anatomical locations of treatment points and areas on the scalp, and inconsistencies in the methods used for locating them.
These discrepancies in anatomical and clinical features have limited the synthesis and development of a framework for scalp acupuncture. Discussion and agreement on the anatomical locations of scalp stimulation areas, identification of methods for precise positioning of acupuncture areas on the scalp, and further exploration of theoretical bases will aid in the standardisation of scalp acupuncture and improve the quality of research in this area.
You can find out more about Acupuncture here and you can book in to see us here. Please be aware that there are delays in booking in for Acupuncture at the moment due to us changing our clinic location recently and re-licensing for the new premises. As a result, we will only be able to book you in for Acupuncture from January onwards, we apologise for this delay. Rest assured it will be business as usual in the New Year.