Can acupuncture relieve arthritis pain? The quacks will tell you it can’t – but it’s easy to find a sufferer who says it does. So who do you believe?
There are two big problems with treating rheumatoid or osteoarthritis with acupuncture:
- Firstly (and conveniently for the quacks), clinical tests are thin on the ground.
- Secondly, if you do want to take the leap of faith, it’s not cheap.
But dig around a little and you’ll soon feel the ground swell of sufferers who all swear by acupuncture.
And what’s more – more and more tests are coming to light suggesting acupuncture may well relieve your rheumatoid or osteoarthritis pain.
The main problem with clinical tests has always been the size – the small numbers of participants always gave doubters room to manoeuvre. But…
One American study of 570 patients, aged 50 or older with osteoarthritis of the knee, showed a 40% decrease in pain – and 40% increase in movement with acupuncture.
Every patient in the test had suffered significant knee pain before the trial, but had never experienced acupuncture.
At random, the patients were given one of three treatments: genuine acupuncture, ’sham’ acupuncture, or a self-help course teaching patients how to manage their own condition.
Every participant in the 26 week trial continued receiving anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relievers.
Now here’s where it gets interesting.
By the eighth week, the genuine acupuncture patients were showing a significant increase in mobility compared with the sham acupuncture and self-help groups.
By week 14, the genuine acupuncture patients were also experiencing a significant decrease in pain.
Overall, pain was reduced by around 40% and mobility improved by around 40% for the patients receiving acupuncture.
Now, you’re probably reading this because your arthritis is becoming more and more painful. Just my opinion, but if your purse strings can take a few treatments, I’d give it a go.
Tags: acupuncture