A New Standard in Case Report Journals
Welcome to Convergent Points, an East-West Case Report Journal. Bridging traditional knowledge and scientific evidence, Convergent Points gathers and shares rigorous case reports from real-world acupuncture and Eastern Asian medical practices. If you’re interested in joining an interdisciplinary team setting a new standard for case reports and practice-based research, let us know!
Journal Summary
Convergent Points: An East-West Case Report Journal is an online, open access, peer reviewed publication dedicated to describing practices and outcomes within acupuncture and traditional Asian medicine. Individuated medical care is complex, and case reports best capture the diversity of integrative acupuncture treatments, as well as the multifactorial nature of patient experience. Case reports may also contribute to scientific understanding. The case reports in this journal adhere to rigorous guidelines in order to provide replicability and means of analysis, as well as education and inspiration across medical disciplines.
Aims:
- To create an ongoing library reference for high quality, scientifically rigorous AEAM case reports.
- To inspire practitioners to collect data that accurately reflect the scope of AEAM, as well as data that reflect social and environmental factors affecting patients' health.
- To provide a platform for emerging scholars and leaders in the field of AEAM to share knowledge and experience.
Publication Frequency:
- October 15th & February 15th publication
- Two submission deadlines: August 1st, December 1st
Learn more:
Interested in the benefits of case report research, or how to submit a case report for consideration?About Case Reports Submission Guidelines
Current Issue
Vol. 3 No. 2 (2024): Step By Step
Online publication happens in an instant. However, like the other case reports in Convergent Points, those in this current issue, "Step by Step," have been in progress for months or years. Please read them carefully and walk along with the authors as they show how in-depth understanding is compounded, treatment by treatment, word by word.
Concepts in "Zhen Wu Tang: A Case Report Unveiling The Lung-Gut Axis In Asthma Management Through Chinese Herbal Medicine" by Kitty Chan and Robert Hoffman spring from the earliest Chinese medical texts and, without seeming to strain, move to current pharmacological mechanisms. The case is a model for applying the classics to practice and scholarship.
Also highlighting herbal approaches is a compelling account by Alison Loercher, “A Case Report of Burning Mouth Syndrome Treated with Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine.” This chronic condition, predominantly affecting postmenopausal women, often proves difficult to manage. Dr. Loercher's report details the successful treatment of a 61-year-old woman with BMS, a possible track for others to follow.
The final case in “Step by Step” is a detailed description of how acupuncture helped address the complex mental health challenges faced by one person. "Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Related Conditions Treated with Acupuncture, a Case Report” by Bonnie Sweetland documents significant improvements across multiple mental health indicators following eight sequential acupuncture appointments.
In addition to publishing case reports, Convergent Points continues to work with investigators from Acu-Track and the Society for Acupuncture Research to advance a model for synthesizing real-world clinical data. By examining sets of case reports in the Convergent Points database and Acu-Track clinical registry entries, researchers are mapping patterns in practitioner decision-making and patient outcomes. Analysis of this pragmatic data aims to clear a path forward that is scientifically accurate and describes the terrain of traditional Eastern Asian medicine. As with published case reports, practitioners in everyday life are at the heart of this adventure.
But back to the step in front of us, I hope you enjoy the issue.
Kathleen Lumiere, Editor
Published:
2024-10-15
