Acupuncture and fibromyalgia

My fibromyalgia comments:

Below is a useful article on how acupuncture can help fibromyalgia. Acupuncture is not a one time treatment as they discovered in the study (as there is no cure for fibromyalgia), however it does seem to relieve pain for the short term. So for your chronic muscle pain, acupuncture may be an alternative therapy that you may consider trying.

Accupuncture Helps Fibromyalgia

Acupuncture helped relieve symptoms such as pain and depression in women with the chronic pain disorder fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes muscle pain, stiffness and fatigue for unknown reasons. It affects about 2% of Americans, mainly women.

In the study, the researchers randomly assigned 60 women who suffered from fibromyalgia into three groups. All patients received amitriptyline, a standard pain modifier used for fibromyalgia, at bedtime for 16 weeks.

In addition, 20 of the women received a once-a-week, 30-minute acupuncture session while a second group of 20 underwent a once-a-week, 30-minute sham-acupuncture session where they were punctured in areas not believed to have any effect on pain.

The patients were evaluated every month for pain, depression and quality of life measures by healthcare workers who were unaware which treatment they were receiving.

The researchers reported that patients who received the real acupuncture were the only ones who showed statistically significant improvement on measures of pain, depression and mental health after the first month.

The results lasted for up to 16 weeks, at which time the patients began regressing slightly and would need reinforcement acupuncture sessions, Feldman said. "It's not a one-time treatment.

Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology San Francisco November 12, 2001

Review Acupuncture as a Fibromyalgia Treatment here

Homepage

Disclaimer: As required by the FDA, this website is for informational purposes only. This website is not meant to treat, diagnose, or prevent any disease. Always consult your medical professional for advice with regard to your condition.