Lisa Garber
Waking Times

Researchers examined over two dozen studies and  determined that acupuncture effectively diminished chronic pain – news the  pharmaceutical industry does not want to hear. The studies involved nearly  18,000 patients with back, neck, and shoulder pain, osteoarthritis, or chronic  headaches, and showed that acupuncture for pain could be a simple solution.

“Many clinicians consider acupuncture to be merely a potent placebo and feel  uncomfortable referring their patients to an acupuncturist,” says Andrew  Vickers, a Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center researcher. “But our findings  suggest that the effects of acupuncture go over and above the placebo  effect.”

Acupuncture for Pain

In their findings,  the researchers determined that, on a scale of 0 to 100, most patients arrived  at an acupuncture session with pain at about level 60. Patients who received no  acupuncture left the session with pain levels at about 43 while those who  received “sham” treatments in which the needles were improperly placed left at  level 35. Those who received proper acupuncture were at level 30.

The findings were published in the journal Archives of Internal  Medicine and contest the results of a 2009 study published in the British Medical Journal. The latter dismissed the effects obtained  through acupuncture as a placebo effect.

Many other studies, however, back up acupuncture as not only a valid form of  medicine and healing but also an affordable one. A Belgian  study published in the European Journal of Pain concluded  that patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorders experience notable  improvements through acupuncture, which activates endogenous analgesia in.   And of course there is much more to acupuncture treatment than just  acupuncture for pain.

Acupuncture for Exercise Recovery  and Depression

Acupuncture may also be helpful for athletes according to an  Australian study published in the Journal of Alternative and  Complementary Medicine. Researchers from the University of Western Sydney  found that most subjects in their trials who received acupuncture experienced  enhanced athletic performance as well as postexercise recovery. Even conditions  like depression—commonly believed to be treated only through emotional therapy  and harmful  antidepressants—may be helped through acupuncture.

This holistic  treatment for depression bypasses the medications and opens up a whole  new world for those only knowing Western practices.

Acupuncture for Children

Not just for adults, acupuncture  for children can also be very effective. Rather than putting them on  harmful pain medication, children experiencing migraines, endometriosis, and  reflex sympathetic dystrophy can experience natural pain relief through  acupuncture—once they get over their fear of needles.

Remember that there is more to acupuncture for pain or any other condition.  For more on eastern versus western medicine, check out this infographic  comparing the history, methodology, effectiveness, and cost of the two.

Additional Sources:

Boston

JAMA  Network

This article originally appeared at NaturalSociety.com, an excellent source of news and information about natural health.

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