Major Study Backs Acupuncture
October 30th 2006
A major study published today gives backing to the medical benefits of acupuncture. Researchers say the therapy may help reduce the need for patients with arthritis to take anti-inflammatory drugs, which can have significant side effects.
It was studied by Dr Claudia Witt of the University Medical Centre, Berlin, Germany, and colleagues who recruited 3,553 patients with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee or hip.
The patients were divided into three groups, one randomly assigned to 15 sessions of acupuncture over three months, one randomly assigned to standard treatment then acupuncture for three months, and a large group given acupuncture (who did not consent to randomisation).
In the November 2006 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, the researchers report: "Patients who were treated with acupuncture in addition to routine care showed significant improvements in symptoms and quality of life compared with patients who received routine care alone.
"The addition of acupuncture to the treatment regimen resulted in a clinically relevant and persistent benefit," the authors concluded.
The improvement in symptoms continued after the treatment had ended. Following this study, German doctors and health insurers may recommend that the cost of acupuncture is reimbursed via state health insurance.
Writing in the same journal, researchers Tao Liu and Chen Liu of Jilin University, China, explain that acupuncture aims for long-term healing rather than a short-term cure. They believe that the benefit partly derives from a closer doctor-patient relationship.
This study "furthers our understanding of acupuncture and adds to the accumulated evidence supporting its efficacy", they conclude, adding: "Such evidence warrants extensive use of acupuncture in various chronic pain conditions."
Arthritis & Rheumatism, Vol. 54, November 2006, pp. 3485-93, 3375-77.
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