• Home
  • Journal articles
  • Edited books
    • Integrating East Asian Medicine
    • Acupuncture Research
    • Acupuncture in Practice
  • Research projects
    • Acupuncture & Counselling for Depression Project (ACUDep)
    • Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (AcIBS)
    • Acupuncture & Alexander Technique for Chronic Neck Pain
    • Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis of the Knee (OAK)
    • STRICTA
    • Neuroimaging and Acupuncture Project
    • Mapping the practice of acupuncture in the UK
    • Acupuncture for chronic pain (ATC)
    • Acupuncture for Back Pain Project (YacBac)
    • Acupuncture for Non-cardiac Chest Pain
    • Acupuncture Safety Projects
    • Chinese Herbs Safety Project
  • Presentations
  • Media and press
  • Profile
  • Contact

Hugh MacPherson works as a Senior Research Fellow in  the Department of Health Sciences, University of York, and the York Clinic for Integrated Healthcare , York, UK.


Highlights

Acupuncture and our brain waves (November 2012)

Picture
A new study on acupuncture has just been published showing how it impacts on brain waves, and in particular how it is associated with a  decrease in beta power in the primary somatosensory cortex and superior frontal   gyrus. This opens up a fresh line of investigation in terms of understanding how acupuncture might work. The study was conducted at the University of York, at  the York Neuroimaging Centre, and led by Aziz Asghar and Hugh MacPherson. [Full article]

Picture

Acupuncture for  irritable bowel syndrome (November 2012)

Picture
A new study published by BMC Gastroenterology describes a clinical trial in  which benefits were found in patients receiving acupuncture for irritable bowel  syndrome at three months, and that this benefit was largely sustained at 12  months. Hugh MacPherson was the lead investigator, and the trial was funded by  the National Institute for Health Research. [Abstract]

Acupuncture for chronic pain study (September 2012)

Picture
The largest study of acupuncture for chronic pain has recently been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Individual patient data from 29 randomized controlled trials with 17,922 patients were analysed and the results show that acupuncture is better than usual care and better than sham acupuncture for the treatment of back and neck pain, osteoarthritis and chronic headaches. Hugh MacPherson is a collaborator and co-author. [Read more]

Book on the integration of East Asian medicine into contemporary healthcare (October 2011)

Picture
Published by Elsevier, this book is co-edited by Volker Scheid and Hugh MacPherson and brings together contributions from acknowledged experts from a number of different disciplines. These include clinical researchers, Chinese Medicine practitioners, historians, medical anthropologists, experts in the social studies of science, technology and medicine. The aim of the book is to examine and debate the impact of the evidence-based medicine movement on the ongoing modernization of East Asian medicines. [Read more]

Acupuncture and Alexander technique for chronic neck pain (Oct 2011)

Picture
Photo by gordonplant
A major UK trial at the University of York funded by Arthritis Research UK will investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture and Alexander Technique lessons in alleviating chronic neck pain. The grant is for £718,000 over three years and the Principal Investigator is Hugh MacPherson. [Read more]

York study maps the effects of acupuncture on the brain (February 2010)

Picture
Important new research led by Hugh MacPherson about the effects of acupuncture on the brain may provide an understanding of the complex mechanisms of acupuncture and could lead to a wider acceptability of the treatment. [Read more]

Integrative medicine

Picture
An editorial in the British Medical Journal was published in September 2009 authored by Hugh MacPherson and colleagues. Titled "Closing the gap in Integrative Medicine", the article argued for broadening the range of evidence to be used for complex interventions that are characteristic of, but not exclusive to, integrative medicine. [Full text]

Acupuncture for chronic pain and depression

Picture
An award of £1,300,000 has been made to Chief Investigator Hugh MacPherson at the University of York to conduct a series of projects evaluating acupuncture for chronic pain and depression in primary care funded by a Programme Grant for Applied Research from the National Institute for Health Research, April 2009. 

Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome

Picture
An award of £260,000 has been made to Principal Investigator Hugh MacPherson at the University of York to conduct a trial of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome funded by the National Institute for Health Research under their Research for Patient Benefit scheme, July 2008.

Book on acupuncture research

Picture
A new book, edited by Hugh MacPherson with the title, "Acupuncture Research, Strategies for Establishing an Evidence Base", has been published by Elsevier in 2007 [Read more]

Career Scientist Award

Hugh MacPherson has received a Career Scientist Award funded by the Department of Health and to be held at the University of York commencing October 2007
[Read press release]

Nesta Fellowship

Picture
Hugh MacPherson has been awarded a  Fellowship by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA). [Read press release]

Acupuncture for back pain   

For recent research into acupuncture for low back pain, see two papers co-authored by Hugh MacPherson published in the British Medical Journal, with news coverage, see: BBC [see extract], Herald, Independent, NHS, Reuters, WebMD and others.

Acupuncture and the brain

Picture
"Acupuncture works by deactivating the area of the brain governing pain", BBC News, Saturday 21st January 2006, followed by "Alternative Medicine: Acupuncture." Broadcast on BBC2, 24th January, 2006, in part, featuring Hugh MacPherson. [See introductory video ....]  [See full programme]

Create a free website with Weebly