Posts Tagged ‘Pain’

Acupuncture and Cancer

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Acupuncture Is Making Life Easier For Those Fighting Cancer

There’s nothing enjoyable about fighting for one’s life when the diagnosis is cancer. The pain, nausea and sickness that accompany the disease or the treatment just add insult to injury.

But time and time again, studies have shown that Acupuncture helps those with the pain of cancer or the sickness resulting from treatment.

In 1986, two doctors in London studied whether or not patients at a Pain Clinic in a cancer hospital could benefit from Acupuncture treatment. The results were quite promising. This study found that 82 percent of the patients treated with Acupuncture received a benefit that lasted for hours or even days. Patients who were suffering from muscle spasms or unpleasant sensations such as itching, prickling or burning were among those who received the greatest help.

In 2009, a study executed by Jeanette Ezzo, a Maryland researcher, and a research group investigated the relief that might be provided to those who were receiving chemotherapy. It is very typical for those receiving chemotherapy to suffer vomiting and nausea.  Acupuncture and self-administered acupressure were tested together on this study.

The research group found that, “acupuncture has demonstrated benefit for chemotherapy-induced acute vomiting.” It also determined that, “Self-administered acupressure appears to have a protective effect for acute nausea and can readily be taught to patients.” Further studies are needed to provide complete verification of the benefits.

Then treatments such as chemotherapy produce sickness and vomiting as a side effect, the usual medical solution is to give more drugs to combat those side effects. Rather than involve oneself in a never-ending round of drug-taking, it is always wise to see if a minimally invasive and nearly painless method of treatment such as Acupuncture can help before resorting to more drugs.  

Avoiding more drugs leaves the body with a maximum amount of innate healing power with which to deal with the cancer.

Source: http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab002285.html, http://www.acupuncture.com/research/cancerpain.htm, http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/acupuncture/healthprofessional/allpages#Reference6.17

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Pain

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Check back soon for more articles…Ian Wahl

Acupuncturre’s Pain Relief Equal to Painkilling Drugs

A team of scientists from two British universities carried out brain scans on patients while they underwent Acupuncture treatment. The scans showed differences in the brain’s response to acupuncture needles compared with tests using dummy needles that did not puncture the skin.

Doctors found that the part of the brain that manages pain and the nervous system showed pain relief levels of as much as 15 per cent.

Dr. George Lewith, from the University of Southampton’s Complementary Medicine Research Unit, said the improvement is “exactly the same size of effect you would get from…real painkillers (pharmaceuticals)  for chronic pain. The evidence we now have is that acupuncture works very well on pain.”

The patients in the study were put through three tests in random order, while ‘brain maps’ were created using sophisticated scans at University College London. In one test, researchers used blunt needles that pricked the skin, but which the brain registered as the sensation of touch. Dummy needles, where the tip was pushed back once it touched the skin, were then used, and in the third test the patients underwent acupuncture treatment with real needles. 

The acupuncture needles had two measurable effects on the patients’ brains: as with the dummy needles, the brain released natural opiates in response to the expected effect of the needles.  

But the scans showed that the real needles had an extra effect and stimulated another part of the brain called the ipsilateral insular. This improved pain relief of 10-15% was similar to the effect of taking conventional analgesic drugs.

SOURCE: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=5&ObjectID=10123440

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Headaches and Migraines

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Check back soon for more articles from Ian Wahl

Acupuncture Found to be Better than Drugs for Headache Relief

 If you are one of the approximately 45 million people in the United States that suffers from a chronic headache condition, there is some very good news that may help eliminate the need to take medication.

 Researchers at Duke University Medical School have shown that Acupuncture is more effective than drugs in reducing both the severity and the frequency of chronic headache conditions.

 “Acupuncture is becoming a favorable option for a variety of purposes ranging from enhancing fertility to decreasing post-operative pain because people experience significantly fewer side effects, and it can be less expensive than other options,” said Dr. Tong Joo Gan, a Duke anesthesiologist who lead the study. “This analysis reinforces that Acupuncture also is a successful source of relief from chronic headaches.”

 It’s interesting to note that the U.S. National Institute of Health began recommending Acupuncture as a viable treatment to help people with a chronic headache condition over 10 years ago.

 Duke researchers looked into more than 30 studies involving over 4,000 patients who suffered migraine headaches, tension headaches and additional headaches with multiple symptoms. All of the studies they looked at were conducted over a period of time that lasted for more than 4 weeks.

 One of the main findings of the study had to do with the comparison of Acupuncture to the effectiveness of drugs. In the 17 different studies comparing Acupuncture to medication, Acupuncture provided relief to 62 percent of the patients while only 45 percent found headache relief with drugs.

 With Acupuncture known to provide this type of relief, often in a matter of 5 or 6 treatments that last only about 30 minutes, it seems clear that headache sufferers should put aside their medications and seek the relief offered through his age-old treatment. “One of the barriers to treatment with Acupuncture is getting people to understand that while needles are used, it is not a painful experience,” said Dr. Gan. “It is a method for releasing your body’s own natural painkillers.”

 According to researchers, over 20 million American women are among the 45 million people that suffer chronic headaches. Based on the experiences of the majority who were involved in these studies, it would be wise for drug users to consider putting away their medications. Many people could find long-term relief with some relaxing and healing visits to an acupuncturist.

Source: Duke University Medical Center. “Duke Study: Acupuncture Offers Better Headache Relief over Medication.” December 2008. http://durham.mync.com/site/Durham/news/story/20465/duke-study-acupuncture-offers-better-headache-relief-over-medication/

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