A particular branch of acupuncture, known as abdominal acupuncture, is effective for neck pain according to researchers in Hong Kong. In a randomised trial, 154 participants with neck pain, aged 18 to 65, were randomly allocated to receive either abdominal acupuncture or a sham equivalent, for six sessions over a two week period. At the end of the treatment period and also four weeks later, the real treatment group exhibited a greater improvement in neck pain. This difference was even more significant three months after treatment had ended. Patients in the true treatment group also had some significantly better quality-of-life scores compared with those in the sham group.
(Efficacy of abdominal acupuncture for neck pain: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS One, July 2017.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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