A study conducted by the
University of British Columbia has found that acupuncture
can be an effective treatment for drug addiction. Researchers
at the University ran a three month program where they
found that a statistically significant percentage of
drug users who took part reduced their drug use after
being treated with acupuncture. Many of the addicts
who volunteered for the study said that they felt that
acupuncture was a more natural alternative to methadone.
The journal Obstetrics & Gynecology also
had good acupuncture news for another group: women suffering
from overactive bladders. The 85 women participating
in the study were each treated using acupuncture points
on the body that are though to affect bladder control.
After treatment, the women reported fewer trips to the
bathroom and a reduced urgency to urinate.
Sufferers of fibromyalgia were not so acupuncturally
fortunate. A recent study published in the Annals
of Internal Medicine found that properly-performed
acupuncture was no more effective at treating fibromyalgia
than “sham” treatments which included inserting
needles where there were no acupuncture points and simulated
acupuncture, where needles didn’t actually pierce
the skin. Researchers did note a slight improvement
at the beginning of the study (which then leveled off
and didn’t increase), but were unsure if this
was due to an overall boost provided by acupuncture,
or an “air of expectation” among the study’s
participants.
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