Acupuncture plus tuina for disc herniation: what 17 trials found

Many of you already pair acupuncture with tuina for disc patients. This week, a 17-trial meta-analysis puts numbers to that combination.

Many practitioners already combine acupuncture and tuina for disc patients, so this won't surprise them. The harder part is fitting that care into a trial: the studies delivered both therapies in very different ways and measured results only at the end of treatment, so the authors rated the certainty of the pooled numbers as low to very low.

For the protocol-minded: most trials never recorded which points or tuina techniques they used. Sessions ran 10 to 40 minutes, from daily to once every three days, over 10 days to 8 weeks, and two trials used the Baliao points, according to their titles. Researchers, if you're reading: we'd love the point list too.

Read the full study →

Patient-friendly: The Journal of Pain Research published a review of 17 studies of people with a herniated disc in the lower back. People who received tuina, a hands-on Chinese massage therapy, along with acupuncture reported less pain and easier movement than those who had acupuncture alone. It's a pairing with a long history in Chinese medicine, and it's good to see it measured.

Note: Unless otherwise stated, all courses listed are CAB-approved; many also carry other state or NCBAHM approvals. Listings subject to change. Please verify details, CE hours, and eligibility directly with provider. Links point to provider sites; you may need to navigate to the specific registration page. In-person and Law & Ethics are highlighted.

THIS WEEK

Oct 13: Heart Stories: An Integrative Approach to Cardiovascular Health in TCM Practice
2.0 CEUs • CSOMA

Oct 14: Practice Ready – Building a Menopause Transition Program in Your Clinic
2.0 CEUs • Healthy Seminars

Oct 15: NeuroMeridian: Peripheral Nerve Entrapment & Neuropathy In-person
26.0 CEUs • Poney Chiang, Irvington, NY

Oct 15: All New Advanced Masterclass: New Case Studies & In-Depth Guide to Clinical Practice (also Oct 22) In-person
24.0 CEUs • Avicenna Seminars, New York, NY

Oct 16: Pelvic Acupuncture Mastery Retreat In-person
20.0 CEUs • The Pelvic Acu, West Palm Beach, FL

Oct 16: All New Advanced Masterclass: New Case Studies & In-Depth Guide to Clinical Practice (also Oct 23) In-person
24.0 CEUs • Avicenna Seminars, Los Angeles, CA

Oct 16: Special Request Masterclass (also Oct 23) In-person
24.0 CEUs • Avicenna Seminars, New York, NY

Oct 17: Clinical Applications of the Yi Jing and Bagua Acupuncture (Oct 17–18)
6.0 CEUs • New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Oct 17: The Tian Yin-Yang Acupuncture Technique of Zhuang Medicine – Part 1
2.0 CEUs • Treasure of the East

Oct 17: Further Developmental Musings Part 2 (monthly series through March 13)
18.0 CEUs • Rare Apricot Society

Oct 17: Topical Minerals: A New Modality for Neurodegenerative and Chronic Illnesses
2.0 CEUs • Net of Knowledge

Oct 17: The Chinese Secrets to Longevity (also Oct 27 and Nov 7)
6.0 CEUs • TCM Online University

Oct 18: The Japanese Secrets to Longevity (also Nov 8)
6.0 CEUs • TCM Online University

Oct 18: Treating Headaches with Chinese Medicine
3.0 CEUs • Net of Knowledge

Oct 18: Bian Que Medicine: From Classical Roots to Modern TCM
4.0 CEUs • Qualiherb

Oct 18: Anxiety Relief & Chemotherapy Neuropathy
4.0 CEUs • HealthCMi

Oct 18: Sinew Channels: Advanced Practice Part 2
4.0 CEUs • Healthy Seminars

Thanks for reading,

Kim Neumann, Publisher