A large randomised controlled trial on acupuncture for insomnia has concluded it is effective and safe. Researchers in Hong Kong allocated 224 subjects to receive either acupuncture alone, acupuncture plus ear acupressure, or a waiting list control. There was no significant difference between acupuncture and the combination treatment. However, both were significantly better than the waiting list at reducing insomnia, with a moderate to large effect size, and at reducing anxiety, depression and fatigue. Improvements were maintained at 13 weeks after treatment.
(Acupuncture with or without combined auricular acupuncture for insomnia: a randomised, waitlist-controlled trial. Acupuncture in Medicine, 11 December 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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