Acupuncture helps Performance and Recovery

Acupuncture research from Australia. University researchers in Sydney, Australia undertaking a systematic review, have found preliminary evidence for the usefulness of acupuncture to enhance exercise performance and post-workout recovery. They looked at four trials, of which three set out to determine the effect of acupuncture on exercise performance. One of these trials found significant enhancements in peak power output and blood pressure compared to controls. Two trials could find no effect on performance. The fourth trial evaluated the effect of acupuncture on post-exercise recovery, and found that heart rate, oxygen consumption and blood lactate were significantly lowered following acupuncture, compared with controls.
The authors recommend more high-quality studies, as there are limitations within existing literature.

(Effect of Acute Acupuncture Treatment on Exercise Performance and Postexercise Recovery: A Systematic Review. Journal of Altern & Complementary Medicine, 14 January 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.