Researchers in Belgium have found that just one session of acupuncture can already start to ease the discomfort of whiplash injuries. In a randomised, crossover, pilot trial, a total of 39 patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorders, received two treatment sessions of twenty minutes duration, of acupuncture and relaxation therapy randomly crossed over. Acupuncture was given by professional practitioners with at least 15 years experience in traditional Chinese treatment.
Pressure pain sensitivity in the neck was found to decrease more significantly following acupuncture than following relaxation. Sensitivity at a painful region in the calf, also improved, from which the researchers deduce acupuncture may be activating the body’s own pain-killing mechanisms.
(Does Acupuncture Activate Endogenous Analgesia in Chronic Whiplash-Associated Disorders? A Randomised Crossover Trial. European Journal of Pain, February 2013.)
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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