Acupuncture Works for Fibromyalgia

Acupuncture works for fibromyalgia. Acupuncture works for fibromyalgia, with an international team of authors concluding it showed a significant effect in the management of the condition by reducing pain and depression, and enhancing quality of life. The team was drawn from Saudi Arabia, Spain, the USA, Turkey, Taiwan, Italy and Egypt. Together they analysed the results from 23 randomised controlled trials, covering over 1400 patients.

Compared with controls, acupuncture showed the highest improvement in quality of life, followed by physiotherapy. Acupuncture was also associated with significant reductions in pain and depression. As regards stiffness, neither acupuncture, physiotherapy nor antidepressant medication was significantly different to controls. The authors state “Acupuncture is a preferred option in fibromyalgia patients compared with other ones investigated in our study, as it showed significant improvements in the quality of life, depression, and pain relief.”

(Efficacy of Acupuncture, Intravenous Lidocaine, and Diet in the Management of Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Healthcare Journal, 23 June 2022.)

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.