Acupuncture for Arthritis - Studies haven’t confirmed acupuncture helps arthritis

For centuries, the history of acupuncture treatment for arthritis has been with us. It provides many pain sufferers with an added or alternative form of relief of their pain. Even though it cannot purposefully succeed on its own, nevertheless it is tested and proven to give great relief to those who need it.

Acupuncture and Arthritis Treatment

On every occasion when your joints feel like burning up or when you feel like they're starting to inflame and grow to be tender, start with your acupuncture therapy and see how it can greatly reduces the pain that you feel. Usually, patients who use both medication and acupuncture for arthritis state that they are easily alleviated from the discomfort as compared to that of using the drugs alone. For this reason, both acupuncture and arthritis medication treatment should be considered by the pain bearers.

>> Learn more: The Natural Synergy System Treats strong Pain and a Multitude of Common Ailments

Arthritis is an illness usually experienced by the aging population. Needle piercing is relatively popular among this age group for the reason that they say that it works best in relieving them of pain. Acupuncture knee arthritis and acupuncture osteoporosis are two of the recognized treatments sought after by the aging group.

Acupuncture osteoarthritis is performed for the purpose not to eliminate the disease but to control its symptoms. Take for example, if successive acupuncture osteoarthritis therapies are instituted, there would be more chances of pain relief. But if done sporadically, there would be smaller chances for you to get symptomatically healed.

Many people may find osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis confusing. To clarify it further, osteoarthrtiris more often than not targets the older age group and usually affects the hips most of the time. In contrast, rheumatoid arthritis targets the younger population and points to the small joints as the main problem. Even though both are bone problems, yet they are different when it comes to acupuncture treatment. The placement of the needles is also different for each of the classification, and the number of needles to be used is not the same as well. Besides, the sessions to be performed also vary greatly depending on the severity of the disease and depending on the required time by your therapists. Again, if it is done at regular sessions, there would be greater chances that you will get cured from the painful symptoms of arthritis.

In most cases, the effectiveness of acupuncture lies on the willingness of the person to get cured. If one is strong-minded enough to persevere on to complete the course of acupuncture and arthritis treatment, then it would be a lot easier to get cured from the pains of the disease.

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Studies haven’t confirmed acupuncture helps arthritis

It’s been about 2,000 years in the making, but acupuncture has finally gained at least some mainstream acceptance as a medical modality. Research offers limited, but promising, evidence that acupuncture can help with arthritis symptoms.

The theory of acupuncture goes something like this: An essential life energy called qi (pronounced “chee”) flows through the body along 20 invisible channels called meridians. When the flow of this energy is blocked or out of balance, illness or pain results. More than 2,000 acupuncture points connect to the meridians. Stimulating those points with needles, it is said, will correct the flow of qi and alleviate pain.

Acupuncture diminishes pain by “untying muscular straitjackets – releasing tight, spasmed, shortened muscles to their resting state,” explains Tim Rhudy, an acupuncturist practicing in Delmar, New York. It also helps stimulate the release of natural pain-fighting endorphins.

Yet these benefits have been hard to prove, because high-quality studies on the subject of arthritis and acupuncture have been limited. Here’s a look at some of the recent research that has been done:

• OA. Like previous research, a 2014 study in JAMA found people who had acupuncture had slightly less pain compared with those who had no treatment. The authors concluded the results weren’t significant enough to support recommending acupuncture. Yet for patients in pain, even a limited benefit might be enough to justify trying the treatment.
• RA. Studies on acupuncture for RA have largely been of poor quality. They haven’t been able to prove the treatment offers any significant improvement in joint swelling, damage, or other measures of the disease. However, acupuncture may help certain people with their pain.
• Fibromyalgia. In a 2014 review article in Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, researchers analyzed the results of nine studies on acupuncture for fibromyalgia. Though a few studies found acupuncture worked better than drugs to manage the condition, most of the studies weren’t well designed. The authors concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to prove acupuncture works better than placebo. They say more research is needed.

Some experts question whether pain relief noted in the studies is real or the result of a placebo effect – patients feeling better simply as a result of having needles applied to their skin. In a 2012 meta-analysis of studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found real acupuncture was more effective than placebo at treating chronic pain – but only slightly so; 50% of acupuncture patients said their pain improved by half or more compared, to 42.5% of patients receiving placebo treatments.

Other doctors say that even if acupuncture’s benefits are largely due to a placebo effect, it still could be worth trying. Growing research suggests that fake needles and other placebos may prevent pain signals from reaching the brain and promote other biological changes that could relieve symptoms of osteoarthritis and other conditions.

“If I’m suffering chronic pain and someone offers me an intervention that will improve my symptoms, I’d be thinking, ‘Of course I want that,’” says Andrew L. Avins, MD, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “If our ultimate goal is to help patients achieve their goals, the mechanism is not all that relevant.”

How much of a benefit you receive may depend on the severity of your arthritis, and how often you get treated, Rhudy says. Yet multiple sessions may not be cost effective, considering that acupuncture prices can range from $75 to $200 per session. Medicare and Medicaid won’t cover the cost, but some private health insurance companies will pay, at least to some extent. “Many U.S. insurers do provide some acupuncture coverage,” says C. James Dowden, executive administrator of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. “But what conditions they cover vary.”

My own opinion: 

Acupuncture is, at least, a measure of pain relief from arthritis. If you are looking for ways to reduce the pain caused by arthritis, then Acupressure (brother of acupuncture) is a good measure. 

>> Learn: therapeutic Acupressure program for arthritis

If you have severe arthritis, choose a diet and look for natural remedies:

A good acupuncturist (from Chinese Traditional Medicine) is needed to treat arthritis by acupuncture. Acupressure is a way of acupuncture. 

Many methods should be used to treat arthritis, and as directed by your doctor.