The aim of this study was to test whether acupuncture could modify the threshold of tolerance to ... more The aim of this study was to test whether acupuncture could modify the threshold of tolerance to thermal and electrical stimuli. A randomised placebo-controlled single-blind trial was conducted in 36 healthy volunteers randomly distributed to control (no treatment), conventional acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups. The subjects were blind to the group allocation. The authors measured before and after treatment the pain threshold with the Painmatcher (Cefar Medical AB, Lund, Sweden) and the cold tolerance with the cold pressor test, together with the Visual Analogue Scale pain score. Electrical stimulation threshold and cold pressor tolerance both increased significantly in the control and the true acupuncture groups, but not the sham group. The changes in the true acupuncture group were highly statistically significant and amounted to 24% (pain threshold) and 44% (cold tolerance) increases in threshold. The changes in the true group were significantly greater than the control group but not significantly different from the sham group. The changes in the sham and control groups were not significantly different from each other. Acupuncture at true, appropriate points was more effective than no intervention in raising pain threshold and tolerance in volunteers, and acupuncture at inappropriate points had an intermediate effect which was not significantly different from either. Thus acupuncture analgesia may not be a point specific effect.
To study heart rate variability during sleep in children with multiple disabilities in order to o... more To study heart rate variability during sleep in children with multiple disabilities in order to observe the behavior of the autonomic nervous system. The R-R interval variability of 4 to 12 years old children was recorded with a heart rate monitor during one night. Children with multiple disabilities (G1) and healthy children (G2) were compared in time, frequency, and non-linear domains. Temporal (P<0.01), frequency (P<0.05), and non-linear (P<0.01) variables in the G1 were lower than in the G2 group. The time and frequency analysis confirmed the predominance of the sympathetic nervous system during sleep in G1 children. Reduced non-linear variables can explain sleep with less informations (correlation dimension: 2.203 ± 1.239 versus 3.842 ± 0.378; P<0.001), less complex cycles of sleep (approximate entropy: 1.153 ± 0.200 versus 1.365 ± 0.099; P<0.01), and a reduced correlation in short-term variability (SD1: 42.37 ± 19.0 (ms) versus 73.44 ± 25.3; P<0.01). The fractal structure of the recordings was not affected (P>0.05). The diseases encountered are probably the reason for these findings, but the variety of disorders and medications of the children with multiple disabilities needs to be studied with a larger and more varied sample. Sympathetic predominance during sleep in children with multiple disabilities is associated with a decrease in adaptive abilities of these children's autonomic nervous system.
The aim of this study was to test whether acupuncture could modify the threshold of tolerance to ... more The aim of this study was to test whether acupuncture could modify the threshold of tolerance to thermal and electrical stimuli. A randomised placebo-controlled single-blind trial was conducted in 36 healthy volunteers randomly distributed to control (no treatment), conventional acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups. The subjects were blind to the group allocation. The authors measured before and after treatment the pain threshold with the Painmatcher (Cefar Medical AB, Lund, Sweden) and the cold tolerance with the cold pressor test, together with the Visual Analogue Scale pain score. Electrical stimulation threshold and cold pressor tolerance both increased significantly in the control and the true acupuncture groups, but not the sham group. The changes in the true acupuncture group were highly statistically significant and amounted to 24% (pain threshold) and 44% (cold tolerance) increases in threshold. The changes in the true group were significantly greater than the control group but not significantly different from the sham group. The changes in the sham and control groups were not significantly different from each other. Acupuncture at true, appropriate points was more effective than no intervention in raising pain threshold and tolerance in volunteers, and acupuncture at inappropriate points had an intermediate effect which was not significantly different from either. Thus acupuncture analgesia may not be a point specific effect.
The aim of this study was to test whether acupuncture could modify the threshold of tolerance to ... more The aim of this study was to test whether acupuncture could modify the threshold of tolerance to thermal and electrical stimuli. A randomised placebo-controlled single-blind trial was conducted in 36 healthy volunteers randomly distributed to control (no treatment), conventional acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups. The subjects were blind to the group allocation. The authors measured before and after treatment the pain threshold with the Painmatcher (Cefar Medical AB, Lund, Sweden) and the cold tolerance with the cold pressor test, together with the Visual Analogue Scale pain score. Electrical stimulation threshold and cold pressor tolerance both increased significantly in the control and the true acupuncture groups, but not the sham group. The changes in the true acupuncture group were highly statistically significant and amounted to 24% (pain threshold) and 44% (cold tolerance) increases in threshold. The changes in the true group were significantly greater than the control group but not significantly different from the sham group. The changes in the sham and control groups were not significantly different from each other. Acupuncture at true, appropriate points was more effective than no intervention in raising pain threshold and tolerance in volunteers, and acupuncture at inappropriate points had an intermediate effect which was not significantly different from either. Thus acupuncture analgesia may not be a point specific effect.
To study heart rate variability during sleep in children with multiple disabilities in order to o... more To study heart rate variability during sleep in children with multiple disabilities in order to observe the behavior of the autonomic nervous system. The R-R interval variability of 4 to 12 years old children was recorded with a heart rate monitor during one night. Children with multiple disabilities (G1) and healthy children (G2) were compared in time, frequency, and non-linear domains. Temporal (P<0.01), frequency (P<0.05), and non-linear (P<0.01) variables in the G1 were lower than in the G2 group. The time and frequency analysis confirmed the predominance of the sympathetic nervous system during sleep in G1 children. Reduced non-linear variables can explain sleep with less informations (correlation dimension: 2.203 ± 1.239 versus 3.842 ± 0.378; P<0.001), less complex cycles of sleep (approximate entropy: 1.153 ± 0.200 versus 1.365 ± 0.099; P<0.01), and a reduced correlation in short-term variability (SD1: 42.37 ± 19.0 (ms) versus 73.44 ± 25.3; P<0.01). The fractal structure of the recordings was not affected (P>0.05). The diseases encountered are probably the reason for these findings, but the variety of disorders and medications of the children with multiple disabilities needs to be studied with a larger and more varied sample. Sympathetic predominance during sleep in children with multiple disabilities is associated with a decrease in adaptive abilities of these children's autonomic nervous system.
The aim of this study was to test whether acupuncture could modify the threshold of tolerance to ... more The aim of this study was to test whether acupuncture could modify the threshold of tolerance to thermal and electrical stimuli. A randomised placebo-controlled single-blind trial was conducted in 36 healthy volunteers randomly distributed to control (no treatment), conventional acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups. The subjects were blind to the group allocation. The authors measured before and after treatment the pain threshold with the Painmatcher (Cefar Medical AB, Lund, Sweden) and the cold tolerance with the cold pressor test, together with the Visual Analogue Scale pain score. Electrical stimulation threshold and cold pressor tolerance both increased significantly in the control and the true acupuncture groups, but not the sham group. The changes in the true acupuncture group were highly statistically significant and amounted to 24% (pain threshold) and 44% (cold tolerance) increases in threshold. The changes in the true group were significantly greater than the control group but not significantly different from the sham group. The changes in the sham and control groups were not significantly different from each other. Acupuncture at true, appropriate points was more effective than no intervention in raising pain threshold and tolerance in volunteers, and acupuncture at inappropriate points had an intermediate effect which was not significantly different from either. Thus acupuncture analgesia may not be a point specific effect.
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Papers by Marc Amand