(1) Charite´ Medical University & Immanuel Hospital, Berlin, Germany (2) University Witten Herdecke, Witten-Herdecke, North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany Purpose: Fibromyalgia (FMS) is a challenging condition for health care systems worldwide. Only limited trial data is available for FMS for outcomes of complex treatment interventions of complex integrative approaches (CIM). Methods: We conducted a controlled, non-randomized feasibility study that compared outcomes in 21 patients treated with Ayurveda with those of 11 patients treated with a conventional approach at the end of a two week in-patient hospital stay. Primary outcome was the impact of fibromyalgia on patients as assessed by the FIQ. Secondary outcomes included scores of pain intensity, pain perception, depression, anxiety, and quality of sleep. Follow-up assessments were done after 6 months. Results: At 2 weeks, there were comparable and significant improvements in the FIQ and for most of secondary outcomes in both groups with no significant in-between group differences were observed. The beneficial effects for both treatment groups were partly maintained for the main outcome and a number of secondary outcomes at the 6 month follow-up, again with no significant in-between group differences. Conclusion: The findings of this feasibility study suggest that Ayurvedic therapy is non-inferior to conventional treatment in patients with severe FMS. Since Ayurveda was only used as addon treatment RCTs on Ayurveda alone are warranted to increase model validity. Trial Registration: NCT01389336. Contact: Andreas Michalsen,
[email protected]
P02.19 Effectiveness of Electro-Acupuncture Therapy in Improving Gait and Balance in People with Parkinson’s Disease
Methods: Eleven PD patients were randomly assigned with ratio of 2 to 1, to intervention group (n = 8) and control group (n = 3). The intervention group went through 30-minute EA treatment on weekly basis for three weeks, while the control group received a sham treatment. Outcomes assessed at baseline prior to and at the end of therapy. Measurements included balance (assessed by ratio of mediolateral center of mass sway to anteroposterior sway during eyes open, eyes closed, and eyes open dual task), gait (assessed during habitual speed, dual task, and fast walking), quality of life (SF12), and UPDRS. Results: No between group difference was observed for baseline assessments and demographic information. After treatment, between groups comparison revealed that balance was significantly better in the intervention group compared to control group (p < 0.05). The difference was more pronounced during dual task condition, where a between group difference of 60% was observed (p = 0.02). On the same note, gait speed and stride length during all conditions were higher in the intervention group (p = 0.006). Finally, a significant improvement was observed for the intervention group compared to baseline for gait, balance, and quality of life, while no significant change was noticed in the control group. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates the proof of concept for EA benefit in gait and balance in PD patients. Contact: Bijan Najafi,
[email protected]
P02.20 Optical Examination of the Efficacy of Contact Needle Therapy for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: Integration of the Inspection of Kampo Therapy and the Color Spectrum Information Keiko Ogawa (1), Masaki Tsuda (2), Genichi Nishimura (3)
Nima Toosizadeh (1), Hong Lei (2), Michael Schwenk (3), Scott Sherman (2), Esther Esternberg (4), Bijan Najafi (3) (1) Interdisciplinary Consortium on Advanced Motion Performance (iCAMP), Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA), Department of Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA (2) Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA (3) Interdisciplinary Consortium on Advanced Motion Performance (iCAMP), Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA), Department of Surgery, University of Arizona, Arizona Center on Aging, University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA (4) Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA Purpose: Postural instability, gait difficulty, and other facets of mobility are major concerns in people suffering from Parkinson’s disease (PD). Due to the significant limitations of conventional therapy, complementary and alternative therapies are increasingly used in patients with PD and acupuncture is one of the most popular of them. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a standardized electro-acupuncture (EA) regimen for improving gait and balance in patients with confirmed PD using objective modalities based on innovative body worn sensors technology.
(1) Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan (2) Mukeido, Toyama, Toyama, Japan (3) Kanazawa Red Cross Hospital, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan Purpose: Cancer chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) often results in discontinuation of treatment with potentially useful anticancer drugs and may deteriorate the patient’s quality of life. Contact needle therapy (CNT) is one of the traditional Japanese methods of acupuncture. CNT on CIPN has empirically considered being effective, but the objective estimation of its effect has been difficult. Besides the symptom scoring, we have focused on the oxygen saturation. We have already proposed optical path-length matrix method (OPLM) for estimating oxygen saturation of the skin, which may help finding the damage of peripheral tissue including neurons. This study investigated the effect of CNT on CIPN caused by responsible chemotherapeutic agents as taxanes and oxaliplatin with symptom scores and information obtained from skin color spectrum. Methods: Four patients with CIPN were treated with CNT. The severity of CIPN was evaluated using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) ver.4 and FACT/GOGNtx before and after CNT. We also measured oxygen saturation, hemoglobin concentration at fingertip of the right foot finger. Then, correlations and continuous variables among the values were calculated correlation coefficients. Results: There were significantly better differences in post-CNT than in pre-CNT when comparing in FACT/GOG Ntx and oxygen saturation of the skin (p < 0.05). The oxygen saturation showed large correlation (0.5 < jrj < 1 ) with the score improvements.
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