according to a recent study conducted by the Group of the Centre of health for health studies in Seattle, any type of acupuncture, passing or not through the skin, help to treat the chronic back pain in adult patients. Surprising this study has not resided in discovering their analgesic characteristics, but acupuncture not through the skin is as effective as the traditional acupuncture.
Is known back pain is a chronic problem of modern health in the societies and is the main cause for which patients come to acupuncture when traditional medical therapies aren’t effective. Already existed previous studies in which acupuncture showed as a viable option, but its reliability had been placed in discussion. this study instead explored more than 360 adults with chronic pain of back with 4 different therapies: acupuncture individualized, standardized, the simulated (or not penetrating) and traditional acupuncture. In the Sham acupuncture group practitioners used dental sticks in tubes (to hide them from view) and stimulated traditional pressure points without crossing the skin
once made 10 sessions for 7 weeks, patients felt an improvement in their symptoms, remain the same in the four treatments. In turn, decreased the need for these use medication that year and the next, because almost 2/3 of these were taking medication, such as analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (such as ibuprofen).
As we have already mentioned, the surprise has been that Sham acupuncture would give the same results, seem to apply to the treatment would not be necessary to pass through the skin nor use needle. by who?, the question remains unanswered and brings more doubts about the mechanism of action of acupuncture. Is possible that the acupuncture surface ” also stimulates a series of physiological processes that result in analgesia, although also it might be a case of placebo.
They can stimulate pressure points, with needles, electricity, even with laser light at different frequencies. Pressing these points is one of the characteristics of the Japanese art of stimulation, especially for persons age or weak constitution. This could be explained as two different methods have the same effect ”
researchers underline that not knowing which is a mechanism of action, does not mean that no works, provided that it has shown that it actually works.
Source: May 11, 2009, Archives of Internal Medicine – HealthDay
Tags: acupuncture, back pain
