For all of you Fibromyalgia patients, I thought you would enjoy this study I found concerning the ongoing research at the Mayo Clinic concerning Fibromyalgia. I have been treating patients with this difficult and frustrating disease for more than 6 years now, fortunately with a lot of success. I am happy to now have some concrete evidence based on research from the Mayo Clinic to substantiate what I have known for years; the fact is that Acupuncture does help treat Fibromyalgia. Please enjoy this copy of information from the Mayo Clinic and give Integrated Health Concepts a call with any further questions.
Acupuncture Relieves Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia, Mayo Clinic Study Finds
Science Daily — Evidence suggests acupuncture reduces the symptoms of fibromyalgia, according to a Mayo Clinic study.
Fibromyalgia is a disorder considered disabling by many, and is characterized by chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain and symptoms such as fatigue, joint stiffness and sleep disturbance. No cure is known and available treatments are only partially effective.
Mayo's study involved 50 fibromyalgia patients enrolled in a randomized, controlled trial to determine if acupuncture improved their symptoms. Symptoms of patients who received acupuncture significantly improved compared with the control group, according to the study published in the June issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
"The results of the study convince me there is something more than the placebo effect to acupuncture," says David Martin, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the acupuncture article and a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist. "It affirms a lot of clinical impressions that this complementary medical technique is helpful for patients."
Increasingly, patients are interested in pursuing complementary medicine techniques in conjunction with their mainstream medical care, Dr. Martin says. But often, such techniques lack scientific evidence to justify a patient's expense and time.
The study lends credence to patients' belief that nontraditional methods may improve their health. In Mayo's trial, patients who received acupuncture to counter their fibromyalgia symptoms reported improvement in fatigue and anxiety, among other symptoms. Acupuncture was well tolerated, with minimal side effects.
Mayo's acupuncture study is one of only three randomized and controlled studies involving fibromyalgia patients. Of the other studies, one found acupuncture to be helpful, while the other reported it was ineffective for pain relief.
Dr. Martin says Mayo's study demonstrates that acupuncture is helpful, and also proves physicians can conduct a rigorous, controlled acupuncture study. Future research could help physicians understand which medical conditions respond best to acupuncture, how to apply it to best relieve symptoms, and how long patients can expect to their symptoms to decrease after each treatment.
Dr. Martin performed the study at Mayo Clinic Rochester with co-authors Ines Berger, M.D.; Christopher Sletten, Ph.D.; and Brent Williams.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Mayo Clinic.
Advantages of Acupuncture
