Category: Acupuncture Research & Miscellaneous Conditions

Researchers funded by the US Government’s Gulf War Illness Research Program, have concluded that individualized acupuncture treatment can offer significant relief to veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI). GWI is a complex and poorly understood condition, characterised by multiple symptoms including fatigue, musculoskeletal pain and sleep and mood disturbances.

A total of 104 veterans diagnosed with the illness were randomised to receive either biweekly acupuncture for 6 months, or 2 months on a waiting list followed by weekly acupuncture for 4 months. Treatment was provided by experienced practitioners close to where the veterans worked and lived, and it was individualised to the patient, with the inclusion as required of standard additional techniques such as Chinese massage.

By month 6, greater clinically significant improvements in physical symptoms and pain scores, were seen in the biweekly acupuncture group. The researchers say that their study supports the use of individualized acupuncture treatments for the management of GWI symptoms, and that acupuncture treatment may be an effective, safe, low-cost treatment option for returning military as well as civilian populations impacted by chronic multi-symptom illness. Participants reported high usability of acupuncture, with 96% of them reporting confidence in recommending acupuncture to a friend or family member.

(The Effectiveness of Individualized Acupuncture Protocols in the Treatment of Gulf War Illness: A Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial. PLoS One 31 March 2016.)

Researchers in Taiwan have found that acupuncture may be effective in reducing stroke recurrence rates. In a retrospective study of over 30000 newly-diagnosed cases of ischaemic stroke (due to a blood clot as opposed to bleeding), acupuncture treatment was associated with reduced stroke recurrence rates, irrespective of whether the patient had been put on medication for this purpose. Patients were followed up for between 5 and 9 years. The impact of acupuncture however, was found to decrease with age.

(A Retrospective Cohort Study Comparing Stroke Recurrence Rate in Ischemic Stroke Patients With and Without Acupuncture Treatment. Medicine (Baltimore), September 2015.)

Researchers have shown that adding acupuncture to routine care, can benefit patients with vascular dementia. A total of 68 patients received either usual care, or usual care plus acupuncture. Up to 21 acupuncture sessions were given over a 6 week period. Patients were included in the study provided dementia had been diagnosed before they were 80 years old, and provided they had no other neurodegenerative conditions. Usual care comprised prescribed medication plus a weekly telephone call to enquire about their health.

At the end of the 6 week treatment period, and again at follow-up after a further 4 weeks, patients who had received acupuncture performed better than the control group on tests of cognitive function. They also reported less interference from dementia with their daily activities. The authors point out that recent international policy guidelines aim to promote independence in dementia patients, and there exists a rising interest in nonpharmacological interventions.

(Acupuncture for Vascular Dementia: A Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial. The Scientific World Journal, 2015.)

Researchers have found that acupuncture can significantly improve symptoms in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. One hundred patients in an outpatient urology clinic were randomised to receive acupuncture at either seven pairs of acupoints or seven nearby sham points. Prostate symptom scores were compiled for each patient at 6,8,16 and 24 weeks after treatment.

At 8 week follow-up, in the real acupuncture group, 92% of patients showed in excess of a 50% decrease in symptom scores. By comparison, the corresponding figure for the sham group was only 48%. Throughout the follow-up period, both groups exhibited a significant decrease in scores, but the decrease in the real acupuncture group remained significantly greater.

(Acupuncture relieves symptoms in chronic prostatitis/ chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a randomized, sham-controlled trial. Journal of Prostate Cancer & Prostatic Diseases, September 2015.)

A pilot study undertaken by clinicians in Taiwan, has shown that acupuncture can significantly and promptly reduce dizziness and vertigo in patients attending a hospital accident and emergency department. A total of 60 patients aged 21-89, presenting at A&E with these symptoms, had serious causes ruled out before being allocated to one of two groups. The treatment group received a thirty minute acupuncture session, whilst the control group received acupressure seeds placed without stimulation, at points 1cm away from the acupoints used in the treatment group.

Compared with the controls, patients in the treatment group experienced significantly greater decreases in symptoms. The researchers, funded by the Taiwanese Government Ministry of Health & Welfare, concluded acupuncture was also a very safe intervention.

(Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for dizziness and vertigo in emergency department: a pilot cohort study. BMC Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 9 June 2015.)