While sufferers treated with acupuncture needles had around half the number of migraines compared to before treatment, so did those treated with sham needles – suggesting that it’s the expectation of success that works. While the osteoarthritis trial found that acupuncture needles, applied to specific points on the leg, provide great pain relief and improved function, the migraine trial was less conclusive. The criticismsThere is still room for scepticism over what happens during acupuncture. He says the confidence in acupuncture is reflected in the fact that it is due to become a registered practice in the UK later this year. “Considerable research activity is now under way and the first results are very positive, with scientific evidence that acupuncture is effective in treating osteoarthritis of the knee (Annals of Internal Medicine, Dec 2004) as well as migraine (Journal of the American Medical Association in May 2005),” says Day Post, assistant coordinator of the Acupuncture Research and Resource Council in Ealing. Acupuncture for pain The claimsThe development of sham needles (that work in a similar way to stage daggers) has enabled proper clinical trials of the traditional therapy, used for several thousand years in the East and increasingly popular in the West. The BMJ paper does not affect the evidence that fish oil protects against arthritis, or the growing evidence that it helps behavioural problems in children and protects against depression.

Research is now looking into the value of omega-3 supplements for people with heart disease (anyone with concerns should talk to their GP). The BHF and FSA recommendations were made while both were fully aware of the Burr findings. The truth This was a controversy waiting to happen after the Burr study, sponsored by Seven Seas, appeared. Lead author Dr Lee Hooper, lecturer in the university’s School of Medicine and Health Policy, says advice to the public to eat more oily fish should continue, but adds that further reviews are needed on whether it is appropriate to recommend a higher intake of omega-3 fats for people with heart disease. The researchers from the University of East Anglia acknowledge that the analysis, published in last Friday’s BMJ, was “significantly influenced” by the Burr study. “It goes against a plausible, well-tested explanation of the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.”
The criticisms A new statistical analysis of the 48 best trials that investigated whether fish oil cuts the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke has found “little evidence” of benefit – and suggests that fish oil capsules may actually increase the risk. One 2002 trial by Dr Michael Burr of the University of Wales College of Medicine raised doubts.

“The Burr study shouldn’t be ignored, but it is out of step,” says Phillip Calder, professor of nutritional immunology at Southampton University. Fish oil for the heart

The claimsResearch over 30 years convinced the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and British Heart Foundation (BHF) to recommend oily fish or fish oil capsules, the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids. He has withdrawn them from sale, having been touched by the sympathetic reaction of the public to his earlier decision to go to auction.. * Bjorn Borg has decided not to sell his Wimbledon trophies and rackets.

On Sunday, Kuznetsova knocked out Martina Hingis, winning 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 in a hard-hitting contest. Maria Sharapova was below her best but beat fellow Russian teenager Maria Kirilenko, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Tatiana Golovin shocked Elena Dementieva, who won only three games against the 18-year-old Frenchwoman, while China’s Jie Zheng beat Jill Craybas in three sets. But I missed one forehand I should have made at 1-1 on my serve and all of a sudden I was playing against a different player. To lose like this is pretty tough to swallow.” In the women’s competition Svetlana Kuznetsova became the first player to reach the quarter-finals when Patty Schnyder withdrew with an ankle injury. At 4-3, however, he played a poor service game and netted a backhand volley at break point, having failed to put away a routine smash. At 5-6 Henman faltered again, Greul clinching victory with a backhand return winner “I didn’t take anything for granted,” Henman said “I wanted to keep the pressure on.