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Background: Chronic low-back pain (cLBP) is a common condition throughout the world, and acupuncture is widely sought for treatment. As clinical evidence for the benefits of acupuncture grows, acupuncture for cLBP is receiving increased recognition and acceptance by both patients and professionals. Time method acupuncture has been previously researched with respect to chronic gastritis., Objective: For individuals with cLBP in the current study, the research team examined the efficacy of adding confluent acupoints, related to the daytime period in time method acupuncture, to regular acupuncture and also evaluated the persistence of the benefits of such acupuncture in comparison with regular acupuncture., Design: The study was a randomized, controlled trial (RCT)., Setting: The setting was an outpatient clinic of the Dongzhimen Hospital in Beijing, China., Participants: Participants were Chinese men and women with cLBP., Intervention: Sixty participants were randomly divided into 2 groups to receive acupuncture. The control group received a treatment that followed a routine acupuncture (RA) protocol, while the intervention group received a treatment that followed an RA protocol plus acupuncture in confluent points related to time (TA)., Outcome Measures: The research team measured the change in participants' scores using the visual analogue scale (VAS), the number of therapy sessions needed, the number of days that participants were absent from work during the treatment period and at 12 wk posttreatment, and the number of pain relapses between the end of treatment and the 4- and 12-wk follow-ups., Results: VAS scores decreased from 69.6 ± 7.9 to 11.8 ± 4.9 in the intervention group compared with a decrease from 69.2 ± 8.0 to 15.7 ± 10.0 in the control group (P = .001). The intervention group received fewer therapy sessions (8.1 ± 2.0) than did the control group (10.1 ± 2.0, P < .001). Compared with the controls, the intervention group showed fewer days absent from work (0.5 vs 1.4; P = .03) and fewer pain relapses (4.0 vs 7.0; P = .04) at the 12-wk follow-up. In the 2 groups combined, VAS decreased from 69.4 ± 7.9 before the first session of acupuncture to 13.8 ± 8.0 after the last session (P < .001), and the number of therapy sessions needed for pain relief was 9.1 ± 2.2., Conclusion: Accompanying routine acupuncture with time method acupuncture can enhance the efficacy of treatment and the persistence of its benefits in individuals with cLBP.

Objective: To compare the therapeutic effect of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), acupuncture, and hormone therapy on menopause- related symptoms of peri- and postmenopausal women., Study Design: Fifty-seven Chinese women completed 2 months of treatment with either CHM (5 g twice daily, n = 22), acupuncture plus CHM (Kun Bao Wan) 5 g twice daily plus sessions of acupuncture, n = 20), or hormone therapy (n = 15)., Main Outcome Measures: Kupperman index score, levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol, and the number of symptoms before and after treatment were the main outcome measures., Results: CHM, acupuncture plus CHM, and hormone therapy significantly decreased Kupperman score (P < .001 in each group) and number of symptoms (P < .05). The mean difference in Kupperman score between baseline and 2 months among the three groups was significantly varied (P = .02). The difference was only between acupuncture plus CHM and CHM with significantly better results by acupuncture plus CHM. Acupuncture plus CHM, as well as hormone therapy, significantly reduced the level of FSH (P < .05), but CHM alone didn't cause any significant decrease in FSH levels (P > .05). The mean difference in the level of FSH between baseline and 2 months among the three groups was significantly different (P = .02). This difference was only between CHM and hormone therapy with significantly better results by hormone therapy. The three treatments didn't make any significant increase in the level of E2 (P > .05)., Conclusion: application of the combination of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture proved as effective as hormone therapy in the treatment of menopause-related symptoms, and it achieved better outcomes than herbal medicine alone.