Acupuncture: A wonder treatment for patients with mystery illnesses

Scores of patients are suffering from sickness with symptoms that are medically unexplained and after a number of tests and scans also the doctors are unable to find any medical cause behind it.

Acupuncture may treat mystery illnesses
The recent study, carried out by a team of researchers from the Institute of Health Services Research, at the University of Exeter's Peninsula Medical School, the needle pricking technique involved in acupuncture could prove a wonder treatment for patients suffering from chronic, unexplained symptoms.

According to the study, physician and other healthcare providers could save the NHS a fortune by adding five-element acupuncture to such patients’ usual care.

In the latest study, the researchers noticed that frequently attending patients with medically unexplained symptoms reported significantly improved overall well-being after being treated with acupuncture for 6 months.

Study details
For the study, lead investigator Professor Andrew Gould and co-researchers examined 80 patients who were experiencing suffering aches and pains for which GPs could find no explanation.

These patients had consulted their GP at least eight times in the past year with problems such as headaches, muscle pain, extreme tiredness, joint and back pain, and in the three months prior to the trial they had 44 hospital visits, 52 hospital clinic visits, 106 outpatient clinic visits and 75 visits to non NHS workers.

Half of the study patients with symptoms that were medically unexplained were treated with acupuncture alongside conventional medical treatments for up to 12 sessions in 26 weeks while the others were given no extra treatment.

Study findings
At 26 weeks, the researchers noted that those having acupuncture reported a number of ‘significant and sustained’ benefits in their symptoms, while others in control group did not experience any benefit.

Among the most commonly reported benefits was a dramatic increase in energy levels, says the study report in the 'British Journal of General Practice.'

Comments from study patients who underwent acupuncture sessions included "the energy is the main thing I have noticed. You know, yeah, it's marvellous!" and "Where I was going out and cutting my grass, now I'm going out and cutting my neighbour's after because he's elderly."

According to the Daily Mail, Prof. Gould said, “It’s soul-destroying for the patient and soul-destroying for the doctor when there’s no clear reason for the symptoms they are suffering.

“We don’t know how acupuncture is making a difference, but it seems to be something to do with the treatment rather than just a placebo or one-to-one care they’re getting.”

Dr Charlotte Paterson, of the University of Essex medical team, added, "While further studies are required, this particular study suggests that GPs may recommend a series of five-element acupuncture consultations to patients with unexplained symptoms as a safe and potentially effective intervention."

A little about acupuncture
Acupuncture is a procedure adapted from ancient Chinese therapy in which certain body areas are activated by the insertion of sharp, thin needles on the body's surface, in order to relieve pain or produce regional anesthesia.

Originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, this method is already widely used for the relief of pain. It is a simple form of treatment, which has no side effects or risk of addiction.

This therapy is also known to reduce nausea and vomiting after surgery and chemotherapy. There are different theories to explain how this technique works. One theory says that the needles block the pain impulse as it moves through the central nervous system and prevent it from reaching the brain. Another explains that the needles stimulate the release our bodies' own natural pain killers.