Best Practice
Compliance of Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies to the Principles of transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing
(joint statement by COPE, DOAJ, WAME, and OASPA; http://doaj.org/bestpractice)
Updated November 23, 2020
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1. Website
- i. The URL address of official journal web site: https://www.journal-jams.org/
- ii. ‘Aims & Scope’ statement: The Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies (JAMS) is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed journal featuring high-quality studies related to anatomy and physiology of acupoints and meridians, and mechanism of action of acupuncture treatment, and clinical effects of acupuncture. The following subjects will be covered by the journal: acupuncture (acupressure, electroacupuncture, laser acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, etc.), pharmacopuncture, and veterinary acupuncture.
- iii. Readership: JAMS is primarily for medical researchers and clinicians of acupuncture, traditional medicine, integrative medicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and other personnel who work in the field of medicine. Its readership can be expanded to other positions related to subjects described in aims and scope.
- iv. Authorship criteria:
Anyone listed as author on JAMS manuscript submission must meet all the following criteria below (adapted from https://www.nature.com/nature-research/editorial-policies/authorship):
- Each author is expected to have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; or the creation of new software used in the work; or have drafted the work or substantively revised it;
- AND to have approved the submitted version (and any substantially modified version that involves the author's contribution to the study);
- AND to have agreed both to be personally accountable for the author's own contributions and to ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work, even ones in which the author was not personally involved, are appropriately investigated, resolved, and the resolution documented in the literature.
Other contributors may be acknowledged at the end of the paper, before the bibliography, with explicitly described roles, preferably using the roles found in the CASRAI Contributor Roles Taxonomy at http://casrai.org/CRediT. - v. Duplicate submission and redundant publication: Submitted manuscripts must not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere. No part of the accepted manuscript should be duplicated in any other scientific journal without the permission of the Editorial Board. Submitted manuscripts are screened for possible plagiarism or duplicate publication by Similarity Check upon arrival. If plagiarism or duplicate publication is detected, the manuscripts may be rejected, the authors will be announced in the journal, and their institutions will be informed. There will also be penalties for the authors.
- A letter of permission is required for any and all material that has been published previously. It is the responsibility of the author to request permission from the publisher for any material that is being reproduced. This requirement applies to text, figures, and tables.
- vi. pISSN 2005-2901 eISSN 2093-8152
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2. Name of journal
- The official journal title is Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies. The abbreviated title is J Acupunct Meridian Stud.
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3. Peer review process
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JAMS operates a double-blind review process. All information on the reviewers is confidential and so is that of the contributing authors. Authors’ names and affiliations are removed during peer review.
All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper.
The invited reviewers should response to the offer of review within 14 days. Recommended decisions can vary from “Accept,” “Major revision,” “Minor revision,” or “Reject.” Reviewers should submit their decisions on the journal’s electronic manuscript system. Emails from reviewers and authors are considered as digital signatures.
Upon the review decision, the paper may return back to the corresponding author. Each comment by the reviewers should be addressed one point by one point. The corresponding author should clearly indicate what alterations have been made using underline or highlight. The revised version should be uploaded online.
The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. There may be additional requests to improve the quality and to avoid potential weak points prior to publication. If necessary, certificates issued by professional English language editing company or English proofreading by language experts may be requested to the authors.
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JAMS operates a double-blind review process. All information on the reviewers is confidential and so is that of the contributing authors. Authors’ names and affiliations are removed during peer review.
All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper.
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4. Ownership and management
- This journal is owned and managed by the Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute (http://www.mapi.or.kr).
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5. Governing body
- The governing body is the journal’s editorial board.
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6. Editorial team and contact information
- i. Editorial team is available from the Editorial Board page at the front part of the journal.
- ii. Contact information
- SangHyeon Lee
- Administrative Manager
- JAMS Editorial office
- 4F AKOM Building, 91, Heojun-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul 07525, Republic of Korea, Tel: +82-2-2658-9051, Fax: +82-2-2658-9136, E-mail: journalams@gmail.com
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7. Copyright and licensing
- i. Copyright policy: All published papers become the permanent property of the Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute. Copyrights of all published materials are owned by the Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute. Permission must be obtained from the Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute for any commercial use of materials. Every author should sign the copyright transfer agreement forms.
- ii. Licensing information: This is an open-access journal distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which is for non-commercial purposes, lets others distribute and copy the article, and to include in a collective work (such as an anthology), as long as they credit the author(s) and provided they do not alter or modify the article.
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8. Author fees
- Neither page charge, article processing charge (also known as a publication fee) for accepted articles nor submission fee will be applied. It is the platinum open access journal.
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9. Process for the identification of and dealing with allegations of research misconduct
- When the journal faces suspected cases of research and publication misconduct such as redundant (duplicate) publication, plagiarism, fraudulent or fabricated data, changes in authorship, an undisclosed conflict of interest, ethical problems with a submitted manuscript, a reviewer who has appropriated an author’s idea or data, complaints against editors, and so on, the resolution process will follow the flowchart provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (http://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts). The discussion and decision on the suspected cases are carried out by the Editorial Board.
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10. Publication ethics
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i. Journal policies on authorship and contributorship: The Corresponding author must submit a completed Author Consent Form (Copyright Transfer Agreement form) to the JAMS editorial office with manuscripts. All authors must sign the Author Consent Form. The JAMS follows the recommendations for authorship of the ICMJE (www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf).
The ‘Uniform Requirements’ of the ICMJE presents authorship recommendations as follows. “Authorship credit should be based on 1) substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; and 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and 3) final approval of the version to be published; and 4) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that the questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.” The authors should meet these 4 conditions. All individuals who meet the first criterion should have the opportunity to participate in the review, drafting, and final approval of the manuscript.
The contribution of each author must be stated according to the CRediT (Contrubutor Roles Taxonomy) Taxonomy of author roles (casrai.org/credit/) and presented on the title page. If a person does not meet the above four criteria, they may be mentioned as a contributor to the manuscript’s acknowledgments section.
Examples of author contributions
Conceptualization: name; Data curation: name; Formal analysis: name; Funding acquisition: name; Investigation: name; Methodology: name; Project administration: name; Resources: name; Software: name; Supervision: name; Validation: name; Visualization: name; Writing - original draft: name; Writing - review & editing: name.
The Editor assumes that all author(s) listed in a manuscript have agreed with the following JAMS policies on manuscript submission: 1) The manuscript submitted to the JAMS must be previously unpublished and not be under consideration for publication elsewhere; 2) the identities of referees will not be revealed under any circumstances; and 3) if an author(s) should be added or deleted after submission of manuscript, it is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that all the authors involved are aware of and agree to the change in authorship. JAMS has no responsibility for such changes.
ii. How the journal will handle complaints and appeals: The policy of the journal is primarily aimed at protecting the authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher of the journal. If not described below, the process of handling complaints and appeals follows the guidelines of the Committee of Publication Ethics available from: https://publicationethics.org/appeals
• Who complains or makes an appeal?: Submitters, authors, reviewers, and readers may register complaints and appeals in a variety of cases as follows: falsification, fabrication, plagiarism, duplicate publication, authorship dispute, conflict of interest, ethical treatment of animals, informed consent, bias or unfair/inappropriate competitive acts, copyright, stolen data, defamation, and legal problem. If any individuals or institutions want to inform the cases, they can send a letter to the editor. For the complaints or appeals, concrete data with answers to all factual questions (who, when, where, what, how, why) should be provided.
• Who is responsible to resolve and handle complaints and appeals?: The Editor, Editorial Board, or Editorial Office is responsible for them.
• What may be the consequence of remedy?: It depends on the type or degree of misconduct. The consequence of resolution will follow the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). -
iii. Journal policies on conflicts of interest / competing interests: The corresponding author of an article is asked to inform the Editor of the authors' potential conflicts of interest that may possibly influence the research or interpretation of data. A potential conflict of interest should be disclosed in a ‘Disclosure’ statement, and in the cover letter even when the authors are confident that their judgments have not been influenced during the study or in preparing the manuscript. Such conflicts may include financial support or private connections to pharmaceutical companies, political pressure from interest groups, or academic problems.
The submitted Disclosure format shall follow that of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Uniform Disclosure Form for Potential Conflicts of Interest (http://www.icmje.org/about-icmje/faqs/conflict-of-interest-disclosure-forms/). The Editor will decide whether the information on the conflict should be included in the published paper. In particular, all sources of funding for a study should be explicitly stated. The JAMS asks referees to let the Editor know of any conflict of interest before undertaking a review of a given manuscript.
All authors are requested to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest including any financial, personal or other relationships with other people or organizations within three years of beginning the submitted work that could inappropriately influence, or be perceived to influence, their work. -
iv. Journal policies on data sharing and reproducibility: Open data policy: For clarification on result accuracy and reproducibility of the results, raw data or analysis data will be deposited to a public repository after acceptance of the manuscript. Therefore, the submission of the raw data or analysis data is mandatory. If the data is already a public one, its URL site or sources should be disclosed. If data cannot be publicized, it can be negotiated with the editor. If there are any inquiries on depositing data or waiver of data sharing, the authors should contact the editorial office. Clinical data sharing policy: This journal follows the data sharing policy described in “Data Sharing Statements for Clinical Trials: A Requirement of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors” (https://synapse.koreamed.org/Synapse/Data/PDFData/0063JKMS/jkms-32-1051.pdf). The ICMJE's policy regarding trial registration is explained at http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/clinical-trial-registration.html.
If the data sharing plan changes after registration this should be reflected in the statement submitted and published with the manuscript, and updated in the registry record. All of the authors of research articles that deal with interventional clinical trials must submit data sharing plan. Based on the degree of sharing plan, authors should deposit their data after deidentification and report the DOI of the data and the registered site. - v. Journal's policy on ethical oversight: When the Journal faces suspected cases of research and publication misconduct such as a redundant (duplicate) publication, plagiarism, fabricated data, changes in authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and ethical problem discovered with the submitted manuscript, a reviewer who has appropriated an author’s idea or data, complaints against editors, and other issues, the resolving process will follow the flowchart provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (http://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts). All studies involving human subjects or human data must be reviewed and approved by a responsible Institutional Review Board (IRB). The Editorial Board will discuss the suspected cases and reach a decision. We will not hesitate to publish errata, corrigenda, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when needed.
- vi. Journal's policy on intellectual property: All published papers become the permanent property of the Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute. Copyrights of all published materials are owned by the Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute.
- vii. Journal's options for post-publication discussions and corrections: The post-publication discussion is available through letter to editor. If any readers have a concern on any articles published, they can submit letter to editor on the articles. If there founds any errors or mistakes in the article, it can be corrected through erratum, corrigenda, or retraction.
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i. Journal policies on authorship and contributorship: The Corresponding author must submit a completed Author Consent Form (Copyright Transfer Agreement form) to the JAMS editorial office with manuscripts. All authors must sign the Author Consent Form. The JAMS follows the recommendations for authorship of the ICMJE (www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf).
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11. Publishing schedule
- It is to be published bimonthly (February, April, June, August, October, and December). Supplement issues may be published.
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12. Access
- This is an open-access journal distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which is for non-commercial purposes, lets others distribute and copy the article, and to include in a collective work (such as an anthology), as long as they credit the author(s) and provided they do not alter or modify the article.
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13. Archiving
- It is accessible and archived in the journal homepage (www.journal-jams.org).
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14. Revenue sources
- Revenue sources of journal are from the support of publisher (the Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute), Korea Government’s support, and advertising rates.
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15. Advertising
- Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies accepts any advertisements on the following basis:
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Eligibility of the advertised products or services
All products or services should be safe and reliable, and not cause any harm to the health and welfare of humans. Advertisements may promote information and technologies relevant for authors, editors, reviewers, and readers. Pharmaceutical products may also be considered.
- Advertising is separate from content. Advertisers and sponsors have no advance knowledge of our editorial contents, nor do the editors have advance knowledge of advertisers. Content is never altered, added, or deleted to accommodate advertising. Advertisers and sponsors have no input regarding any of our editorial decisions or advertising policies.
- We reserves the right to decline or cancel any advertisement at any time.
- Advertisements for pharmaceutical products must conform to all regulations and policies of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Republic of Korea in every respect. -
Advertisement inquiries
For advertisement inquiries, please contact JAMS editorial office (journalams@gmail.com). -
Disclaimer
Liability: Neither the publisher nor the editors will be legally liable for advertisements presented in the journal. In addition, they cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of the information provided.
Endorsement: The publisher and the editors do not endorse any products or services that are advertised.
Disclaimer: Neither the publisher nor the authors will be legally liable for any of the content of advertisements, so readers must keep this in mind when reading or seeing advertisements.
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16. Direct marketing
- Journal propagation has been done through the journal web site and distribution of an introduction pamphlet. Invitations to submit a manuscript are usually focused on the presenters at conferences, seminars, or workshops if the topic is related to the journal's aims and scope.
Journal Info
Editorial Office
- Tel.+82-2-2658-9051~3
- Fax.+82-2-2658-9136
- E-mail.journalams@gmail.com
- Society.http://www.mapi.or.kr/
Most Read / Downloaded
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Brief Report2023-12-31
Effect of Needling at Selected Acupuncture Points (GB39, BL17, LR13) on Hemoglobin Levels in Anemia: a Randomized Placebo Controlled Study
K. Gayathri Devi1, A. Mooventhan1,2,*, N. Mangaiarkarasi1, N. Manavalan3J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2023; 16(6): 263-267 https://doi.org/10.51507/j.jams.2023.16.6.263AbstractIron deficiency anemia (IDA) is an important public health issue in India. This study was performed to determine the impact of acupuncture at the GB39, BL17, and LR13 points on hemoglobin levels, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and red cell distribution width (RDW) in people with IDA. One hundred women with IDA were randomly allocated to the acupuncture group (AG) or placebo control group (PCG). For 30 minutes per day, daily for 2 weeks, the AG received acupuncture at GB39, BL17, and LR13, while the PCG received needling at non-acupuncture points. Outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention. We found a significant increase (p < 0.001) in hemoglobin level (AG 10.39-11.38 g/dl, effect size 0.785; PCG 10.58-10.40 g/dl, effect size 0.191), MCH (AG 25.69-27.50 fl, effect size 0.418; PCG 27.43-27.23 fl, effect size 0.058), and RDW (AG 15.12-16.41 fl, effect size 0.626; PCG 14.91-14.94 fl, effect size 0.017) in the AG compared to the PCG. Results suggest that needling at the GB39, BL17, and LR13 acupuncture points is more effective in treating people with IDA than needling at non-acupuncture points.
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Brief Report2022-12-31
Acupuncture Treatment of a Patient with Bradycardia and Idioventricular Rhythm
Oksana Strakhova*, Alexey Ryzhov*J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2022; 15(6): 356-360 https://doi.org/10.51507/j.jams.2022.15.6.356AbstractA patient with bradycardia and an idioventricular rhythm was observed. According to cardiologists, there is no reliable drug treatment for bradycardia with an idioventricular rhythm; instead, the sole treatment is a pacemaker. In the course of this case, it was shown that acupuncture can restore the heart rhythm from bradycardia to normocardia, and from idioventricular with third-degree atrioventricular node block and an average heart rate of 34 BPM, to normal sinus rhythm with a heart rate of 71 BPM. Additionally, at the end of the treatment, the patient’s number of episodes of ventricular extrasystole decreased 36 times (3289 versus 91 episodes). These results show that research on this technique should be continued.
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Review Article2023-12-31
Acupuncture in Sports Medicine
George G.A. Pujalte1,2,*, Michael Malone3, Akhil Mandavalli1, Davong David Phrathep4, Neil P. Shah5, Adam I. Perlman6J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2023; 16(6): 239-247 https://doi.org/10.51507/j.jams.2023.16.6.239AbstractAcupuncture is gaining popularity and wider acceptance as a treatment modality within the field of sports medicine. Our objective was to provide a comprehensive review of the existing literature pertaining to acupuncture in sports medicine to shed light on approaches utilized in acupuncture while revealing its personalized nature and its impact on athletes’ preparation, performance, and recovery. We evaluated acupuncture research in the context of medicine and sports-related injury treatment, assessing its impact on athletic performance across demographics of athletes. Athletes participating in most sports have shown positive outcomes from acupuncture interventions. Acupuncture improves peak oxygen levels, maximum heart rate, delayed-onset muscle soreness, pain, swelling, explosive force production, and joint mobility. Furthermore, the efficacy of acupuncture appears to be similar regardless of age and sex. Lastly, the acceptance of acupuncture is influenced by cultural factors, with Western and traditional East Asian cultures exhibiting distinct perspectives on its rationale and mechanisms of action. Traditional East Asian acupuncturists typically employ qi and meridian theories in their acupuncture practices, with the recent incorporation of Western concepts. Acupuncture shows promise as an effective treatment for musculoskeletal pain and neuropathies in athletes across different age groups and for addressing injuries in various sports. Our comprehensive review will enhance our understanding of acupuncture’s potential as a complementary or distinct therapeutic approach compared to conventional therapies. Additionally, our review explores its specific applications within different sports and delves into the cultural dimensions involved in integrating this practice into modern sports medicine.
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Review Article2023-12-31
Acupuncture in Sports Medicine
George G.A. Pujalte1,2,*, Michael Malone3, Akhil Mandavalli1, Davong David Phrathep4, Neil P. Shah5, Adam I. Perlman6J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2023; 16(6): 239-247 https://doi.org/10.51507/j.jams.2023.16.6.239AbstractAcupuncture is gaining popularity and wider acceptance as a treatment modality within the field of sports medicine. Our objective was to provide a comprehensive review of the existing literature pertaining to acupuncture in sports medicine to shed light on approaches utilized in acupuncture while revealing its personalized nature and its impact on athletes’ preparation, performance, and recovery. We evaluated acupuncture research in the context of medicine and sports-related injury treatment, assessing its impact on athletic performance across demographics of athletes. Athletes participating in most sports have shown positive outcomes from acupuncture interventions. Acupuncture improves peak oxygen levels, maximum heart rate, delayed-onset muscle soreness, pain, swelling, explosive force production, and joint mobility. Furthermore, the efficacy of acupuncture appears to be similar regardless of age and sex. Lastly, the acceptance of acupuncture is influenced by cultural factors, with Western and traditional East Asian cultures exhibiting distinct perspectives on its rationale and mechanisms of action. Traditional East Asian acupuncturists typically employ qi and meridian theories in their acupuncture practices, with the recent incorporation of Western concepts. Acupuncture shows promise as an effective treatment for musculoskeletal pain and neuropathies in athletes across different age groups and for addressing injuries in various sports. Our comprehensive review will enhance our understanding of acupuncture’s potential as a complementary or distinct therapeutic approach compared to conventional therapies. Additionally, our review explores its specific applications within different sports and delves into the cultural dimensions involved in integrating this practice into modern sports medicine.
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Review Article2022-10-31
Acupuncture for Osteoporosis: a Review of Its Clinical and Preclinical Studies
Yimiao Tian1,†, Lili Wang2,†, Tianshu Xu1, Rui Li1, Ruyuan Zhu1, Beibei Chen1, Hao Zhang1, Bingke Xia1, Yiwen Che3, Dandan Zhao1,*, Dongwei Zhang1,*J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2022; 15(5): 281-299 https://doi.org/10.51507/j.jams.2022.15.5.281AbstractAcupuncture has gained growing attention in the management of osteoporosis (OP). However, a comprehensive review has not yet been conducted on the efficacy and challenges of acupuncture in preliminary research and clinical trials. Therefore, an extensive literature search was conducted using electronic databases, including PubMed (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed), CNKI (www.cnki.net), and Web of Science, for studies published from the beginning of 2000 to the end of May 2022. Combinations of synonyms for OP, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, clinical trial, preclinical study, and animal experiments were searched. A total of 290 papers were consulted, including 115 reviews, 109 clinical observations, and 66 preclinical studies. There is accumulating evidence to support the beneficial role of acupuncture in preserving bone quality and relieving clinical symptoms based on clinical and preclinical investigations. The top ten most commonly used acupoints are BL23, ST36, BL20, BL11, CV4, GV4, SP 6, KI3, BL18, and GB39. The underlying mechanisms behind the benefits of acupuncture may be linked with the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (adrenal) axis and activation of the Wnt/β-catenin and OPG/RANKL/RANK signaling pathways. In summary, strong evidence may still come from prospective and well-designed clinical trials to shed light on the potential role of acupuncture in preserving bone loss. Future investigations are needed to explore the potential underlying mechanisms, long-term clinical efficacy, and compliance of acupuncture in OP management.
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Research Article2022-12-31
Comparison of the Effects of Myofascial Meridian Stretching Exercises and Acupuncture in Patients with Low Back Pain
Dilek Eker Büyükşireci1,*, Nesrin Demirsoy1, Setenay Mit2, Ersel Geçioğlu2, İlknur Onurlu1, Zafer Günendi1J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2022; 15(6): 347-355 https://doi.org/10.51507/j.jams.2022.15.6.347AbstractBackground: Acupuncture and myofascial meridians show great anatomical and clinical compatibility.Objectives: We aimed to compare the effects of myofascial meridian stretching exercises and acupuncture in patients with low back pain.Methods: We randomized 81 subjects with acute/subacute low back pain into three groups: an acupuncture (A) group, a myofascial meridian stretching (MMS) group, and a control (C) group. We recorded the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and Roland- Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMQ) scores at baseline and weeks two and six. We evaluated posterior pelvic tilt and transversus abdominis muscle strenghth with a pressure biofeedback unit, back extensor muscle strength by the Sorenson test, and lumbar range of motion (ROM) with an inclinometer. Group A received acupuncture (BL 57 and BL 62 acupoints) and stretching exercises according to the posterior superficial line were applied to the MMS group.Results: Improvements in the NRS score were more prominent in group A than in group C (p = 0.004). The RMQ score improvement between baseline and weeks two and six was more prominent in groups A and MMS (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, respectively). The Sorenson test showed significant improvement between the baseline and week two in groups A and MMS (p = 0.004, p < 0.001, respectively). The increase in lumbar ROM measurement in the MMS group between baseline and week two was significantly higher than in groups A and C (p = 0.009, p < 0.001, respectively).Conclusion: Stretching exercises according to the myofascial meridian system and acupuncture contributed to improved symptoms in the first two weeks in patients with acute/subacute low-back pain.