Editorial comment:
 
Some of you know I’ve always cast a wary eye on Virtual Reality as a technique, mainly because its cost makes it unrealistic for most people and situations; and because instead of directing focus inward, the way hypnosis and guided imagery do, to increase internal locus of control and empowerment for self-driven change, it takes end-users’ attention outward, so that they must depend on the VR machinery to create sensation.
 
Except for the relative few who are congenitally incapable of doing self-directed imagery for relaxation, this seems like a self-defeating, redundant, expensive option.  These researchers deserve great praise for their integrity. They published a study where the findings ran counter to their hopes and wishes for VR.

Researchers from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia conducted a systematic review of studies that compare the impact of various techniques on reducing pain and distress in children getting shots for immunization.

The investigators identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs that measured the impact of these interventions during the injection of vaccines in children 0 to 18 years of age. Both self-report and observer assessments were used as measures.

Researchers from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Bronx V.A. Medical Center, in a double-blind, randomized, pilot study, examined the effects of acupuncture on PD-associated symptoms. No significant changes were found.

Researchers from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Bronx V.A. Medical Center performed a double-blind, randomized, pilot study to determine the effects of acupuncture upon a variety of PD-associated symptoms, as compared to a control condition.

Fourteen patients with Stage II or III PD received acupuncture or a control non-acupuncture protocol. Before and after treatment, patients were evaluated using the Motor subscale of the Unified Parkinson''s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), the Parkinson''s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), and the Geriatric Depression Scale.

There were no statistically significant changes for the outcomes measured. In the patients who received acupuncture, nonsignificant trends toward improvement were noted in the Activities of Daily Living score of the PDQ-39 and the PDQ-39 Summary.

Citation: Cristian A, Katz M, Cutrone E, Walker RH. Evaluation of acupuncture in the treatment of Parkinson''s disease: a double-blind pilot study. Movement Disorders. 2005 Sep; 20 (9): pages 1185-8.

Researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City find that tui na massage, acupuncture, and qigong improved subjective quality of life & reduced depression, but UPDRS motor scores actually worsened..

Researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City evaluated the effects of sequential tui na massage, acupuncture, and instrument-delivered qigong for patients with Parkinson disease (PD) over a 6-month period. Twenty-five patients received weekly treatments, which included tui na massage prior to acupuncture followed by instrument-delivered qigong. Each patient was assessed at baseline and at 6 months.

Before and after treatment patients were evaluated with the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoehn and Yahr Staging (H&Y), Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living (S & E), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Parkinson''s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) quality of life assessment, and patient global assessments.

Research from the University of Iowa analyzed data from a 241-subject study of people undergoing invasive radiologic procedures, to see if hypnotizability varied with age, and discovered that it did not..

Researchers from the University of Iowa assessed the effects of age on responsiveness to self-hypnotic relaxation as an analgesic adjunct in patients undergoing invasive medical procedures, analyzing data from Elvira Lang’s prospective trial with 241 patients randomized to receive hypnosis, attention, and standard care treatment during interventional radiological procedures.

Growth curve analyses, hierarchical linear regressions, and logistic regressions using orthogonal contrasts were used for analysis. Outcome measures used were the Hypnotic Induction Profile scores, self-reported pain and anxiety, medication use, oxygen desaturation < or =89%, and procedure time.

Researchers from the Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women''s Hospital/ Harvard Medical School, used MRI technology to see which neural pathways were involved when subjects imagined tactile stimulation on the dorsal side of their right hand. Results were then compared to the MRI findings from subjects who actually received tactile stimulation of the same area of the hand.