Yu-Chen Lee

Background: This perspective article presents the features of contemporary acupuncture education at China Medical University in Taiwan, focusing on current teaching and training practices. Method: Information about relevant courses at China Medical University and the standardized clinical training methods for TCM practitioners, established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, was presented to illustrate the complete training process, from foundational education to clinical practice. Results: There is a transition from traditional lectures to the integration of modern technology in TCM acupuncture teaching and training. Clinical training consists of a two-year physician training program in Chinese medical institutions, along with the continuous development of a specialist physician system in acupuncture. This system combines traditional and modern medicine to cultivate acupuncturists with holistic medical capabilities. Conclusions: Taiwan’s acupuncture education and clinical training system serve as an applicable model that effectively integrates traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

Background: Glaucoma is a chronic progressive optic neuropathy that necessitates lifelong treatment to reduce the decline of the optic nerve. Due to the extended and continuous treatments required for patients, complementary therapies are often considered alongside conventional treatments to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment. Acupuncture has demonstrated the potential to lower intraocular pressure in previous clinical trials, making it a promising glaucoma intervention. Objective: The primary objective of this study is to conduct a single-center randomized control trial involving patients with glaucoma. Acupuncture will be evaluated as an adjunctive therapy. The trial aims to explore its effectiveness for glaucoma. Methods: In this single-center randomized controlled trial, participants (N=50) with primary open-angle glaucoma will be randomly assigned to the treatment group, receiving ophthalmic acupuncture with “De Qi” sensation, or the control group, receiving minimum acupuncture stimulation on nonophthalmic acupoints. The intervention will consist of weekly acupuncture treatments for a total of 6 sessions. Participants will be assessed at 8 time points, which are baseline, during the intervention (6 times), and at a 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome measure is a change in the intraocular pressure before and after each acupuncture treatment. Secondary outcomes will include measurements of heart rate and blood pressure before and after acupuncture, best-corrected visual acuity, visual field, optical coherence tomography, optical coherence tomography angiography, the Glaucoma Symptom Scale, and the Glaucoma Quality of Life-15 questionnaire. Results: Recruitment of participants for the trial commenced on June 28, 2023. A total of 10 participants have been enrolled to test the feasibility of the experiment. We anticipate that the preliminary data from this trial will be completed by December 2025. Conclusions: This trial uses rigorous methodology and comprehensive outcome measurements to assess the clinical efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy for glaucoma, providing valuable insights for future clinical treatment guidelines. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05753137; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05753137 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/57888

BACKGROUND Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), including dry-AMD and wet-AMD, is a common cause of blindness in the elderly population (above 60). However, there has not been effective treatment for dry-AMD so far. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) acupuncture, practiced for over 2500 years in China, has gained popularity in Western countries as a complementary therapy. Also, a meta-analysis conducted by our team in 2023 shows that acupuncture is significantly more effective than interventions of the control groups, and that the most frequently selected acupuncture points in the literature, excluding those with incomplete data, were Jingming (BL01) and Zanzhu (BL02). As traditional needle acupuncture is invasive, lowering patients’ willingness to undergo the treatment, Jingming (BL01) is contraindicated for laser acupuncture to prevent eye injury due to its location, we suggest further investigation into the efficacy of laser acupuncture on Zanzhu (BL02). OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study is to determine whether the experimental group (laser acupuncture) exhibits a greater average change in Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) in comparison to the control group (sham laser acupuncture). METHODS This study is a single-center, investigator-initiated, assessor-blinded, parallel randomized controlled trial. 30 participants would be enrolled. This study consists of 15 visits, which are divided into 1 screening visit, 12 treatment visits, and 2 survey visits in chronological order. Over the 12 treatment visits in 4 weeks, both groups would receive interventions three times a week. Laser acupuncture with the wave of 808nm and the output power of 100mw would be performed on bilateral BL02 for 3 min. On the other hand, the control group would receive sham laser acupuncture with the wave of 0nm and the output power of 0mw on the same acupoints for 3 min. The frequency of interventions would be recorded during the trial. The primary outcomes are Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA). The outcomes would be mostly assessed at visits 1, 13 and 14. All data would be analyzed with SPSS Statistics V.21 after completely collected. RESULTS This study was approved by the institutional review board of China Medical University Hospital (Approval No. CMUH112-REC2-141). The first participant was enrolled on 25 January 2024. Participant recruitment has not been complete so far. The obtained results would be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSIONS Based on our samples and with the parameters and methods used, we can observe the efficacy of BCVA change provided by laser acupuncture at 808 nm in comparison with that of the control group. CLINICALTRIAL This study was registered on the ClinicalTrials.gov on 17 February 2024. (Registration No. NCT06264947)

BACKGROUND Glaucoma is a chronic progressive optic neuropathy that necessitates lifelong treatment to reduce the decline of the optic nerve. Due to the extended and continuous treatments required for patients, complementary therapies are often considered alongside conventional treatments to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment. Acupuncture has demonstrated the potential to lower intraocular pressure in previous clinical trials, making it a promising glaucoma intervention. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study is to conduct a single-center randomized control trial involving patients with glaucoma. Acupuncture will be evaluated as an adjunctive therapy. The trial aims to explore its effectiveness for glaucoma. METHODS In this single-center randomized controlled trial, participants (N=50) with primary open-angle glaucoma will be randomly assigned to the treatment group, receiving ophthalmic acupuncture with “De Qi” sensation, or the control group, receiving minimum acupuncture stimulation on nonophthalmic acupoints. The intervention will consist of weekly acupuncture treatments for a total of 6 sessions. Participants will be assessed at 8 time points, which are baseline, during the intervention (6 times), and at a 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome measure is a change in the intraocular pressure before and after each acupuncture treatment. Secondary outcomes will include measurements of heart rate and blood pressure before and after acupuncture, best-corrected visual acuity, visual field, optical coherence tomography, optical coherence tomography angiography, the Glaucoma Symptom Scale, and the Glaucoma Quality of Life-15 questionnaire. RESULTS Recruitment of participants for the trial commenced on June 28, 2023. A total of 10 participants have been enrolled to test the feasibility of the experiment. We anticipate that the preliminary data from this trial will be completed by December 2025. CONCLUSIONS This trial uses rigorous methodology and comprehensive outcome measurements to assess the clinical efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy for glaucoma, providing valuable insights for future clinical treatment guidelines. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05753137; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05753137 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/57888