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Acupuncture for arthritis
Feeling strong again
Acupuncture can often help ease the pain and inflammation of arthritis, which is a widespread problem affecting huge numbers of people in their daily lives.
The goal of acupuncture treatment for arthritis is to help re-establish a healthy circulation of blood and energy in the area, dispersing swelling and stagnation. Electroacupuncture is often useful, where a gentle current is applied across the needles to stimulate the local circulation. Moxa treatment may be useful too, where a smouldering herb is used to warm the needles or the skin.
Acupuncture addresses our health holistically, aiming to strengthen us and bring us back into better balance. Together with lifestyle advice this may also be able to help with other factors contributing to your arthritis.
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Research |
A 2003 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) (1) found that rheumatoid arthritis is one of the conditions "for which acupuncture has been proved - through controlled trials - to be an effective treatment". Lower back pain, neck pain, periarthritis of the shoulder, and sciatica are also included in this category. Osteoarthritis is a condition "for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but for which further proof is needed."
A 2004 US study showed a 40% reduction in pain and a 40% improvement in knee function for arthritis patients treated with acupuncture, see BBC article (2).
Meanwhile a review(3) by the British Medical Journal described acupuncture as "very safe" when practiced by an appropriately-qualified practitioner.
The modern evidence base for acupuncture is incomplete, and this is true for a great many areas of conventional medicine too. The Clinical Evidence website of the British Medical Journal tells us that of the 2,500 conventional medical treatments their databases cover, 46% are of unknown effectiveness (as at October 2009)(4).
Jessica continues to witness the benefits of acupuncture for many people in her work, utilising the knowledge and practice of Chinese medicine built up over thousands of years. She's happy that more and more modern scientific research is being done into acupuncture, helping to bring it to a wider audience.
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Contact Jessica
Each of us responds differently to
acupuncture. Do
get in touch to discuss whether
acupuncture is likely to be right for you, or to make an appointment.
Other conditions
Acupuncture can help with a wide range of health problems, click below to find out more:
Detailed references
(1) http://www.acupuncture-schools.us/national-institute-health-nih-acupuncture.cfm, referring to World Health Organisation (2002). Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trial, see http://apps.who.int/bookorders/anglais/detart1.jsp?sesslan=1&codlan=1&codcol=93&codcch=196
(2) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4111047.stm, referring to Berman, Brian et al (2004). Effectiveness of Acupuncture as Adjunctive Therapy in Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized, Controlled Trial. Annals of Internal Medicine 141: 901 - 910, see http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/141/12/901
(3) Rampes (2001). The safety of acupuncture. British Medical Journal 2001;323(7311):467 (1 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7311.467, see http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/323/7311/467
(4) From the 'About Us' area of the Clinical Evidence BMJ website, page titled 'How much do we know', http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com/ceweb/about/knowledge.jsp. Extract at Oct 2009: "So what can Clinical Evidence tell us about the state of our current knowledge? What proportion of commonly used treatments are supported by good evidence, what proportion should not be used or used only with caution, and how big are the gaps in our knowledge? Of around 2500 treatments covered 13% are rated as beneficial, 23% likely to be beneficial, 8% as trade off between benefits and harms, 6% unlikely to be beneficial, 4% likely to be ineffective or harmful, and 46%, the largest proportion, as unknown effectiveness"
© Jessica Kennedy 2005-09, all rights reserved