Assessing The Pharmacological Effects And Therapeutic Potential Of Traditional Chinese Medicine In Neurological Disease Models An Update

Neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, are an important cause of disability and death worldwide and pose a serious burden on the global health system over the past 30 years. Acupuncture, as the most widely used traditional Chinese medicine therapy in the world, has been widely used in 183 countries and regions. Acupuncture can treat more than 300 kinds of diseases, especially for neurological diseases. Due to the unique advantages of acupuncture such as good therapeutic effect and low side effects, many researchers have conducted extensive clinical studies on the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of neurological diseases, laying a foundation for the practicability and scientific vigor of this complementary and alternative therapeutic approach. There are still many problems unanswered in the current clinical research on acupuncture for the treatment of neurological diseases: First of all, clinical research is lagging behind due to the lack of emphasis on modern advanced methods and analytical techniques (e.g., artificial intelligence, omics analysis, bioinformatics analysis, data mining) and multidisciplinary integration process. Secondly, the quality of reports on most clinical studies of acupuncture treatment for neurological diseases is extremely low. Most clinical studies have not adopted standardized methodological evaluations, authoritative disease diagnosis standards, and efficacy evaluation standards. The lack of compliance regulations and strict study design reduces the accuracy and authenticity of the research. Thirdly, there is a lack of integrated assessment of the distribution of evidence for acupuncture treatment of neurological diseases. Therefore, strictly designed clinical research and in depth and systematic analysis method are currently needed to provide high-quality evidence for acupuncture treatment of neurological diseases. In this Research Topic, we hope to further understand the role of acupuncture in the treatment of neurological diseases through clinical research and secondary research. The range of acupuncture includes manual acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, body needling, auricular acupuncture, scalp acupuncture, laser acupuncture and acupressure, etc. Neurological diseases include stroke, meningitis, encephalitis, tetanus, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, migraine, tense-type headaches, headaches from drug overuse, and others.

Acupuncture therapy has been practiced in China and other Asian countries for more than two thousand years. Modern clinical research has confirmed the impressive therapeutic effect of acupuncture on numerous human ailments, such as controlling pain, nausea, and vomiting. However, the biological mechanisms of acupuncture are still under debate. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the mechanism of acupuncture therapy is explained by a meridian model. According to this model, acupuncture is believed to treat the diseased organs by modulating two conditions known as Yin and Yang, which represent all the opposite principles that people find in the universe, both inside and outside the human body. Yin and Yang complement each other, and are subjected to changes between each other. The balance of Yin and Yang is thought to be maintained by Qi, an energy substance flowing constantly through the meridian, a network connecting all the organs of the body. The illness, according to this theory, is the temporary dominance of one principle over the other, owing to the blockade of the Qi from flowing through the meridian under certain circumstance. The axiom of “No stagnation, No pain” in TCM summarizes this concept. Thus, the goal of acupuncture treatment is to restore the balance of Yin and Yang conditions in the diseased organ(s). This theory has been considered to be useful to guide this ancient therapy, such as carrying out diagnosis, deciding on the principle, and selecting the acupoints.

The twelve volume in the Evidence-based Clinical Chinese Medicine series is a must read for Chinese medicine practitioners interested in neurology or rehabilitation. Using a 'whole evidence' approach, this book aims to provide an analysis of the management of post-stroke shoulder complications with Chinese and integrative medicine.This book describes the understanding and management of post-stroke shoulder complications with conventional medicine and Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine treatments used in past eras are analysed through data mining of classical Chinese medicine books. Several treatments are identified that are still used in contemporary clinical practice.Attention is then turned to evaluating the current state of evidence from clinical studies using an evidence-based medicine approach. Scientific techniques are employed to evaluate the results from studies of Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture and other Chinese medicine therapies. The findings from these reviews are discussed in terms of the implications for clinical practice and research.Chinese medicine practitioners and students can use this book as a desktop reference to support clinical decision making. Having ready access to the current state of evidence for herbal formulas and acupuncture treatments allows practitioners to be confident in providing evidence-based health care. This book is an easy to use reference, thus allowing practitioners to focus on providing high quality care supported by the best available evidence.This book links formulas, herbs and acupuncture points with treatment efficacy, providing the reader with potential for creating new formulas. Several of the most frequently used herbs from randomized controlled trials were investigated to identify their pharmacological actions in animal and cell-line studies. This gives the reader insight into the potential actions of herbs and their chemical constituents that are relevant to the pathogenesis of post-stroke shoulder complications, and may provide leads for drug discovery.The editors of this series are internationally recognized, well-respected leaders in the field of Chinese medicine and evidence-based medicine with strong track records in research.

Based on careful analysis of burden of disease and the costs ofinterventions, this second edition of 'Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition' highlights achievable priorities; measures progresstoward providing efficient, equitable care; promotes cost-effectiveinterventions to targeted populations; and encourages integrated effortsto optimize health. Nearly 500 experts - scientists, epidemiologists, health economists,academicians, and public health practitioners - from around the worldcontributed to the data sources and methodologies, and identifiedchallenges and priorities, resulting in this integrated, comprehensivereference volume on the state of health in developing countries.

Treatments, Nutraceuticals, Supplements and Herbal Medicine in Neurological Disorders offers readers a comprehensive reference on their potential for treatment in a wide variety of neurological diseases. Spanning various types of these compounds, this broad coverage allows readers to learn about the use of nutraceuticals and botanicals alone, or in combination with, other dietary regimes and/or vitamins and minerals. It covers diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS and MS, and severe neurological conditions including brain injury, stroke, headache and migraine. This volume provides a platform for research on nutraceuticals and botanical agents and on future investigations of these compounds. There are over 600 neurological disorders affecting both the central and peripheral nervous systems, some of which have been treated by nutraceuticals and herbal medicine, hence this is a timely resource on the topics covered. Summarizes nutraceutical and herbal medicine research for a variety of neurological conditions Contains chapter abstracts, key facts, a dictionary and a summary Covers nutraceutical and botanical use in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, MS, and more Includes conditions like migraine, headache, stroke and brain injury