Acupuncture is safe and effective in intensive care units (ICUs), and is associated with positive outcomes including reduced length of stay and lower risk of mortality. University authors in Taiwan undertook a systematic review of 31 studies involving over 2900 critically ill patients who had received acupuncture during their ICU stay.
No serious adverse events were associated with acupuncture. A meta-analysis of minor adverse events showed no significant differences between acupuncture and control groups. Acupuncture was associated with a reduced risk of adverse reactions. Patients receiving acupuncture spent less time in the ICU, equivalent to 1.45 days per patient, and had lower mortality rates than those receiving routine ICU care.
(Is acupuncture safe in the ICU? A systematic review & meta-analysis. Frontiers in Medicine, 24 August 2023.)
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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