Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Open Access

Transient paralysis during acupuncture therapy: A case report of an adverse event

4^th International Conference on Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology

July 14-16, 2014 DoubleTree by Hilton Baltimore-BWI Airport, USA

Anne Beable

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Clin Exp Ophthalmol

Abstract :

A patient with apparently well-controlled epilepsy had a painful musculoskeletal condition was treated successfully with two sessions of acupuncture. However, 4 hours after the first treatment and during the second, an adverse event involving impairment of consciousness occurred. The patient subsequently experienced an increased frequency of complex partial seizures resulting in the loss of his driving license. A detailed retrospective review of the past medical history indicated that the patient probably had comorbidities in the form of rapid eye movement behavior disorder and dysfunctional somatosensory/ vestibular processing. Acupuncture may have triggered the adverse event via shared neurosubstrates. This adverse event raises the possible implications regarding safe acupuncture practice.

Biography :

Anne Beable graduated from Bristol University (MB ChB) in 1977. She worked as an NHS General Medical Practitioner until ill-health retirement in 2007. Subsequently she developed her interest in Western Medical Acupuncture (WMA) and gained an MSc with Distinction from the University of Hertfordshire in 2012. She is an accredited member of the British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS). The publication of this case report in the Pubmed-indexed journal Acupuncture in Medicine was her first attempt at submitting an article for publication.