Acupuncture May Help To Relieve Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Wary and just a little skeptical, I was won over and completely converted.

I admit I've never liked needles of any kind, so the prospect of trying acupuncture for the first time didn't exactly fill me with eager anticipation. But when the nagging back and neck pain I was experiencing became more annoying than the prospect of making myself a human pincushion, I gave in.

My apprehension lasted exactly as long as it took for the pain to subside, which was nearly immediate.

I'm not trying to convince anyone to try acupuncture; that's a personal decision that should be made with the advice of a medical professional. But if you suffer from fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) - or if you know someone who does - overcoming an aversion to needles could lead to considerable relief.

Acupuncture brings relief from fibromyalgia symptoms

As I've noted in other e-alerts, the primary symptoms of fibromyalgia involve inflammation or pain in joints and muscles, often accompanied by fatigue. Because the root cause of FMS is a mystery, treatment generally focuses on pain management measures that include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antidepressants, exercise, massage therapy and dietary adjustments.

At a meeting of the International Association of the Study of Pain last month, US researchers from the Mayo Clinic presented a new study on the use of acupuncture to address fibromyalgia.

According to a HealthDay News article (the study is not yet published), 50 FMS patients were recruited for the research. The subjects were described as 'moderately debilitated' and each had experienced poor results using traditional pain management techniques. Subjects were divided into two groups; one group received acupuncture therapy while the other group was given simulated acupuncture (SI) in which needles are purposely placed to avoid known acupuncture points. Over a period of three weeks, each subject was given six treatments.

Subjects completed questionnaires before and after treatment sessions, and again one month and seven months after the completed treatment period. Analysis of the responses showed that acupuncture subjects experienced significant symptom relief compared to the SI group, especially in three areas: pain, fatigue and anxiety. The greatest relief from symptoms was reported at one month after therapy, but at seven months the beneficial effects had declined and symptoms had returned to original levels.

Choose the alternative treatment

Step one: Finding an experienced acupuncture practitioner. Listings of acupuncturists can be found on the web site for The British Medical Acupuncture Society (www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk).

In the e-alert How algae can help ease fibromylagia symptoms (5/10/04), I told you about two separate clinical trials conducted in Japan, where researchers found that daily therapy with 10 grams of chlorella in tablet form and 100 milliliters of chlorella liquid extract brought improvements in pain, sleep, and anxiety. After three months, 71 percent of the subjects said that chlorella helped improve their symptoms with no side effects. (Chlorella is a freshwater algae that contains such a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids that some nutritionists consider it to be a nearly perfect whole food.)

The basics

Any steps that FMS sufferers can take to treat their symptoms will be enhanced by making some basic personal adjustments. For instance, poor eating habits, lack of sleep and stressful situations are some of the key aggravating factors for most people who have FMS.

Exercise is also important. A study in the British Medical Journal found that after a 3-month aerobic exercise programme that called for using a treadmill or stationary bike for one hour, two times a week, more than half the FMS patients in a group of 66 reduced their symptoms and experienced less discomfort.