2.6 Blood disorders
Among various blood disorders, leukopenia is the most suitable for acupuncture treatment. In controlled studies, acupuncture has been shown to be more effective than batilol and/or cysteine phenylacetate in the treatment of leukopenia due to chemotherapy (140–142) or benzene intoxication (143, 144).
2.7 Urogenital disorders
Urinary retention due to functional disorders, with no organic obstruction, is often treated with acupuncture. For postpartum or postoperative urinary retention, successful micturition usually occurs immediately after one session of needling (66, 145). It is probably for this reason that controlled studies on this subject have been neglected. However, there has been a report of a randomized controlled trial on traumatic retention of urine, a condition more complicated than postpartum or postoperative retention. In this trial, the efficacy of acupuncture was remarkably superior to that of intramuscular injection of neostigmine bromide(146).
Acupuncture is not only useful for relieving renal colic, but also for expelling urinary stones (if they are not too large), because it dilates the ureter. Satisfactory results have been obtained in comparisons with conventional medication (7), but it is better to use acupuncture as a complementary measure in conjunction with medication or lithotripsy.
Sexual disorders are often treated with acupuncture, but conclusive results based on methodologically sound clinical studies are still lacking. Acupuncture was shown to be more effective than placebo in the treatment of non-organic male sexual dysfunction, but the improvement was not statistically significant (147). In another randomized controlled trial, acupuncture had a better effect than the control in the treatment of defective ejaculation (no ejaculation during intercourse) (148).
Acupuncture may also be helpful to patients with chronic prostatitis. As shown in a randomized controlled trial, acupuncture was superior to oral sulfamethoxazole in relieving symptoms and improving sexual function (149).
In women, it has been shown that acupuncture can lower urethral pressure and relieve urethral syndrome (150, 151). Acupuncture has also been successfully used as a prophylaxis against recurrent lower urinary tract infections (152).
2.8 Gynaecological and obstetric disorders
Primary dysmenorrhoea, a painful condition, is one of the major indications for acupuncture in the field of gynaecological disorders. The beneficial effect of acupuncture on this condition has been repeatedly reported in controlled trials (153, 154). Acupuncture relieves pain and also regulates the motility of the uterus to facilitate menstrual discharge and further alleviate the pain.
Premenstrual syndrome is characterized by cyclical mood changes and is a common condition in women of fertile age. Acupuncture seems to be helpful to patients with this syndrome. In a controlled study, the majority of the patients receiving acupuncture gained relief from symptoms and no recurrence in the six-month follow-up (155).
Although acupuncture was reported to be effective in the treatment of female anovular infertility (156), no methodologically sound, controlled trials have been reported. However, the mechanism of acupuncture in regulating abnormal function of the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian axis has been demonstrated in experimental studies. The data suggest that electric acupuncture with relative specificity of acupuncture points could influence some genetic expression in the brain, thereby normalizing the secretion of certain hormones, such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone, luteinizing hormone and estradiol (157). Acupuncture is also worth trying in the treatment of female infertility due to inflammatory obstruction of the fallopian tubes, where it seems to be superior to conventional therapy with intrauterine injection of gentamicin, chymotrypsin and dexamethasone (158).
Acupuncture in pregnant women should be undertaken with care. Needling at some points (namely, on the abdomen and lumbosacral region), as well as strong stimulation of certain distant points, such as hégŭ (LI4), sānyīnjiāo (SP6) and zhìyīn (BL67), may cause miscarriage. However, this action is useful if induction of labour is desired, such as in prolonged pregnancy; the effect is comparable with that of oxytocin by intravenous drip (159–161).
In early pregnancy, acupuncture at the upper limb points can be used for the prevention and treatment of morning sickness. The efficacy of acupressure at nèiguān (PC6) has been reported repeatedly in placebo-controlled studies (13, 162, 163). In order to prevent miscarriage induced by needling, acupressure is recommended for the treatment of morning sickness.
Various methods of acupuncture, such as pressure at ear points and moxibustion at zhìyīn (BL67) or zúlínqí (GB41), have been used to correct abnormal fetal position during the last three months of pregnancy. The success rates in groups treated with these methods were much higher than the occurrence of spontaneous version or in groups treated with knee-chest position or moxibustion at non-classical points (164–167).
Acupuncture stimulates milk secretion after childbirth and can be used to treat deficient lactation due to mental lability or depression. It has been observed that acupuncture elevates the blood prolactin level in women with deficient milk secretion after childbirth; in the majority of cases, lactation starts as the blood prolactin level increases (168). The clinical use of acupuncture to promote lactation has also been demonstrated in a randomized controlled study