Can Traditional Chinese Medicine Help Arthritis Sufferers? - By: Michael Soltoff

Inflammation and joint pain is common to all of the family of ailments known collectively as arthritis. For years, a significant aspect of modern medical science has been dedicated to finding the cure for arthritis, with varied results. Since many forms of arthritis are generally incurable, most doctors focus on treatment to relieve the painful symptoms of arthritis rather than looking for a cure.

Now, however, a new study connects acupuncture and relief of arthritis symptoms. The study said that the combination of acupuncture and arthritis can significantly reduce pain and improve function in those suffering osteoarthritis of the knee.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is practice of traditional Chinese medicine where very thin needles are placed into the body at various acu-points. Practitioners believe that these needles remove blockage from energy channels, and ease the pain caused by the blockages

As part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – a form of alternative medicine based on the belief that an essential life force, qi, flows through the body along channels called meridians – acupuncture is among the oldest form of medical procedure in the world. Acupuncture, which is now practiced widely throughout the world, started in China over 2000 years ago. As the pain relieving benefits of acupuncture become more well known in the United States, the procedure is become much more accepted and sought out here as well.

As opposed to what you may believe, getting stuck with needles for a few minutes is not as torturous as it sounds. Most adherents of acupuncture suggest that there is only a slight sting when the needles prick the skin. There is no pain after that. The needles used in acupuncture are very thin, smooth, and solid, unlike hypodermic needles which are hollow with cutting edges. Acupuncture sessions vary in duration, depending on the treatment that is being given. When it comes to acupuncture and arthritis, treatment may require two sessions a week and may last for several months.

Study on Acupuncture and Arthritis

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Deseases, both components of the National Institutes of Health, performed the study of acupuncture's effects on arthritis. The study, one of the largest and longest on record, reported that participants receiving acupuncture had 40 percent improvement in function and a 40 percent decrease in pain.

For purposes of the study, the researchers enrolled 570 patients who are aged from 50 above, with arthritis of the knee, and who had been suffering significant pain in the same the month before the study was conducted. Study participants either received acupuncture, the treatment equivalent of a placebo, or a self help treatment program (the control group).

"This trial, which builds upon our previous NCCAM-funded research, establishes that acupuncture is an effective complement to conventional arthritis treatment and can be successfully employed as part of a multidisciplinary approach to treating the symptoms of osteoarthritis," said Dr. Brian Berman.

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