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Stroke

Stroke is a condition when a part of the brain region does not get enough blood. This condition occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked by blood clots or a blood vessel bleeds, leading to a loss of function of the affected brain area.

Symptoms depend on where the affected brain area is located. In general, a patient has a sudden severe headache, numbness in one’s limbs, vision problems, difficulty talking or walking, and lightheadedness.

There are two types of stroke:

Blockage

A blockage happens when a blood clot is stuck inside a blood vessel in the brain. This causes a reduction in blood flow in the brain or even a complete blockage of a vessel.

Leak

A leak happens when a brain vessel becomes weak and thin, causing blood to leak out. This is called a hemorrhage.

Stroke is a life-threatening disease that can lead to disability or death. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2007, 10% of patients who died of stroke were under the age of 65. In 2009, around 1% of Canadians were living at home with stroke symptoms.

Approximately 30 – 60% of patients with stroke will lose their daily routine or will not communicate with other people because of the difficulty walking or talking.

How can acupuncture help?

There have been a variety of clinical trials about the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy on stroke patients conducted mostly in China and other parts of the world.

  • Many studies have shown that acupuncture has a positive effect on general recovery, improving motor function, speech, swallowing and cognition if combined with standard care and rehab
  • Acupuncture found to be effective for the management of secondary symptoms related to stroke such as shoulder pain, urinary incontinence, constipation, depression, and fatigue

How does acupuncture work?

Some researchers suggest that acupuncture:

  • May reduce inflammation in the brain after the stroke
  • Prevents or reduces edema in an acute stage of stroke
  • Triggers some changes in the brain that result in the protection of brain cells from necrosis
  • Improves blood circulation within the brain, thus can protect from ischemia

Scalp Acupuncture For Stroke

Brain gray matter structure is widely injured after a stroke. The volume of brain gray matter gradually decreases when time goes by.

In a clinical study to observe how acupuncture can inhibit the progression of gray matter injury in patients with stroke, 16 stroke patients were recruited, and assigned to the scalp acupuncture group or the control group, 8 in each group. The third group of 16 healthy volunteers was recruited. All the participants received brain scanning. Two weeks after treatment, the scalp acupuncture group showed a reduction of progression of gray matter injury in comparison to the two other groups.

How can acupuncture show some improvements in stroke patients?

To answer this question, a study of 61 stroke patients was carried out. The patients were divided into two groups. The first group received routine treatment. The second group received both routine treatment and scalp acupuncture for 7 days. Inflammatory markers in blood were measured during and after the treatments. The research team found that scalp acupuncture improved patients’ clinical symptoms, probably by reducing stroke-induced inflammatory reactions.

Reference

1. Public Health Agency of Canada; (2011); Tracking Heart Disease and Stroke in Canada – Stroke Highlights 2011

2. British Acupuncture Council ; (2015); Stroke

3. Acupuncture Helps Stroke Recovery HealthCMi 02 JANUARY 2016

4. Acupuncture Causes Brain Repair After Stroke Research HealthCMi 19 February 2012

5. Acupuncture Helps Stroke Recovery Research HealthCMi 07 August 2013

6. Lang Y, Cui FY, Li KS, Tan ZJ, Zou YH. Imaging Observation of Scalp Acupuncture on Brain Gray Matter Injury in Stroke Patients with Cerebral Infarction. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2016 Mar;36(3):294-9

7. Wang J, Pei J, Cui X, Sun K, Ni H, Zhou C, Wu J, Huang M, Ji L. Interactive dynamic scalp acupuncture combined with occupational therapy for upper limb motor impairment in stroke: a randomized controlled trial. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2015 Oct;35(10):983-9

8. Wang JH, Zhao M, Bao YC, Shang JF, Yan Q, Zhang ZC, Du XZ, Jiang H, Zhang WD. Effect of Scalp-acupuncture Treatment on Levels of Serum High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein, and Pro-inflammatory Cytokines in Patients with Acute Cerebral Infarction. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2016 Feb;41(1):80-4

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