The urine-based pregnancy tests done in a provider's office is similar to the one that's done at home and is based on the same principle, hCG levels, Helgeson said. She explained that a blood test for pregnancy, known as the beta hCG test, trumps a urine test because it is a more sensitive indicator of hCG.
Our members are trained well enough in Western medicine to be aware of the special issues which arise from treating diabetic patients. As to the effectiveness of treatment, acupuncture treatment, as you may know, is now recommended by NICE for low back pain itself. The evidence for the treatment of sciatica with acupuncture is not quite so good. We were recently asked this question, and we replied:
The close approximation of the sciatic nerve is the reason that increased tone of the piriformis muscle could cause irritation to the sciatic nerve. Irritation to the sciatic nerve in patients with left psoas syndrome often causes pain that radiates down the back of the right leg and stops at the knee.