Australian and Chinese authors of a systematic review have concluded acupuncture is effective for treating vertebral compression fractures associated with osteoporosis. The teams, from the Universities of Tasmania and Chengdu, included 14 randomised controlled trials involving 1130 patients in their meta-analysis.
Compared with control groups, acupuncture offered greater pain reduction at one week, one month and six months after treatment. It was also associated with fewer adverse events, lower disability index scores and higher bone density than controls.
(The Efficacy & Safety of Acupuncture for Treating Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture-(OVCF-) Induced Pain: A Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 29 September 2021.)
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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