[Forty years of acupuncture experience in an ENT practice]. / 40 Jahre Akupunkturerfahrung in der HNO-Praxis.

Acupuncture as a complementary method provides optimal conditions for ENT specialists, particularly when somatotopic microsystems are used, e.g., ear, skull, and oral acupuncture. Via points of these systems, pain conditions and functional disorders as well as specific ENT indications (e.g., rhinitis pollinosa, sinusitis, pharyngitis) can be treated successfully. Therapy is performed quickly and without side effects.

Immediate effects of microsystem acupuncture in patients with oromyofacial pain and craniomandibular disorders (CMD): a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients presenting with oromyofacial disorders and pain in the head and neck area are often resistant to conventional therapy. Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in pain reduction. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with craniomandibular disorders, headache and, in particular, local pain in the orofacial, cervical and temporomandibular joint areas were randomised into acupuncture or placebo laser therapy groups. Pain was assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and by palpation of 14 muscles and groups of muscles immediately before and after treatment, the assessor being blinded to the patients' allocation. Applicable acupuncture points were searched and pricked using the 'very-point' technique. FINDINGS: Pain reduction measured by VAS was significantly more pronounced after acupuncture than after placebo treatment (p=0.031). Sum of pain scores across 14 muscles was considerably more reduced after acupuncture as compared to sham laser treatment. INTERPRETATION: Acupuncture may bring about immediate pain relief in patients with oromyofacial disorders, increasing the chance to initiate other therapeutic measures.