Originally published September 4 2005
Acupuncture can help fibromyalgia sufferers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Fibromyalgia causes widespread pain, but acupuncture helps to improve the flow of what practitioners call "chi," or vital energy, said to travel through the body on energy pathways called meridians, thus helping relieve pain.
Acupuncture significantly improves fibromyalgia symptoms, according to a study by Mayo Clinic scientists.
The biggest improvements were seen in pain, anxiety, and fatigue.
"However, activity and physical function levels did not change," write David Martin, MD, PhD, and colleagues.
Their findings were presented in Sydney, Australia, at the International Association for the Study of Pain's 11th World Congress on Pain.
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome of chronic pain.
It causes widespread pain and tenderness in the muscles and soft tissue (including tender points) as well as sleep problems, fatigue, and other symptoms.
Acupuncture has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries.
It involves inserting needles in strategic parts of the body to improve the flow of what practitioners call chi, or vital energy said to travel through the body on energy pathways called meridians.
In recent decades, acupuncture has become more popular in the West, where it is also getting research attention for a number of conditions, including pain treatment.
Martin's study included 50 fibromyalgia patients whose symptoms hadn't improved with other treatments.
Half of the patients got six acupuncture sessions over two or three weeks.
The other patients got the same schedule of fake acupuncture treatments.
Those who got true acupuncture had notably bigger improvements in fibromyalgia symptoms than those who got fake acupuncture, write the researchers.
Results were based on questionnaires completed before the study, immediately after treatment, and one and seven months later.
The largest benefit was seen one month after the treatments ended, the researchers note.
They write that acupuncture was well tolerated, with minimal side effects.
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