Researchers in Portugal have found that acupuncture can improve walking gait in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Gait impairment was firstly evaluated in 20 patients using the 25-foot walk test. Individuals were then randomised to receive either acupuncture or sham acupuncture. True acupuncture was associated with a significant decrease in the time taken to walk 25 feet, with 95% of subjects showing an improvement. By contrast, changes in the sham group were not statistically significant, with only 45% of subjects showing an improvement.
(Effects of Acupuncture on Gait of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis . Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 14 April 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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