According to a new study, acupuncture may be a solution for the chronic pain of fibromyalgia sufferers. The research, from the Pain Treatment Unit at Dona Mercedes Primary Health Center in Seville, showed that 20 minutes of personalized acupuncture for nine weeks helped improve function and reduce pain caused by the chronic pain disorder that affects nearly 5 percent of individuals.
Ten weeks after receiving the treatment patients reported pain scores that dropped an average of 41 percent. Participants who were given simulated acupuncture treatment had a drop of 27 percent. The benefits of the treatment were still seen after a year.
The 153 patients participating were physically examined prior to the study, and at 10 weeks, six months and one year later. They were randomly assigned to treatment by acupuncture or simulated acupuncture. They had nine weekly treatments, each lasting 20 minutes.
In addition to relief of pain, acupuncture patients had reductions in measures of depression, fatigue and anxiety. However Vas noted that, despite taking less pain medication, the acupuncture patients were using higher levels of antidepressants after one year, which may have artificially improved results.
Fibromyalgia, a condition that affects mostly women, causes widespread pain associated with depression, fatigue and poor sleep patterns. Many patients have central nervous systems that are unregulated, meaning too many pain signals are sent to the brain. Typical treatment starts with medications for nerve pain, such as Lyrica. According to physiatrist Dr. Allyson Shrikhande, acupuncture can calm the nervous system and help slow down the transmission of pain signals to the brain.
The patients in the study were allowed to continue their drug treatment, but when the study was finished the patients who received real acupuncture were taking less medication than those who received simulated treatment.
Lead researcher Dr. Jorge Vas said “individualized acupuncture is a safe and good therapeutic option for the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia.”
Dr. Alexander Rances, who is an acupuncturist, pain management specialist and physician at the Manhasset, New York’s North Shore University Hospital, said that both traditional medicine and acupuncture have a place in treating the condition.
The report was published in the Feb. 15 online edition of the journal Acupuncture in Medicine.