ACU-Track: The Acupuncture Research Podcast

Episode #4 PCOS and bridging the gap between research and practice with Sandro Graca

ACU-Track Episode 4

In this episode we speak with Sandro Graca from Evidence Based Acupuncture (EBA) about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and bridging the gap between research and clinical practice.

  • What is PCOS? What are the main symptoms and causes?
  • The latest research into PCOS. Understanding the broader metabolic and psychological aspects of the condition.
  • The roll of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in treating PCOS
  • The evidence and research for acupuncture and PCOS
  • Bridging the gap between research and clinical practice; how can practitioners get more involved in research?


Acupuncture and PCOS research:

- Effects of electro-acupuncture on anovulation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

- Acupuncture for ovulation induction in polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Effect and Mechanisms of Acupuncture for Ovulation Induction

- Acupuncture in polycystic ovary syndrome: current experimental and clinical evidence

- Acupuncture for Infertility in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: What Does It Add?

- Electroacupuncture Mimics Exercise-Induced Changes in Skeletal Muscle Gene Expression in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

- Acupuncture and physical exercise for affective symptoms and health-related quality of life in polycystic ovary syndrome: secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial


Recent research on PCOS including epigenetics and implications for men too:

- Epigenetic inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome - challenges and opportunities for treatment

- Transmission of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome via Epigenetic Inheritance

- A Genetically Defined Male Counterpart of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Evidence for Ovarian-Independent Pathogenesis

- Complex diseases and co-morbidities: polycystic ovary syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Recommendations from the international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome

- Integrated Model of Care for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

- A new evidence-based guideline for assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome


Acupuncture research in context, guidelines for informing future research to better integrate with practice:

- Paradoxes in acupuncture research: strategies for moving forward

- More Than Needles: The Importance of Explanations and Self-Care Advice in Treating Primary Dysmenorrhea with Acupuncture

- The Role of Research in Guiding Treatment for Women's Health: A Qualitative Study of Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncturists