In this article, we will discuss chronic rheumatoid arthritis and acupuncture.
Have you ever heard of rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common chronic pain disorders, and a wide range of treatment methods have been proposed to solve it, from Western medicine to folk remedies based on Eastern medicine.
That's how much we want to solve the pain caused by this disease! The following is an introduction to the evidence regarding acupuncture.
Research
Acupuncture stimulates the secretion of morphine-like substances and endorphins in the body, and this research is examining the possibility that acupuncture can contribute to the reduction of pain in chronic rheumatoid arthritis.
The results of the acupuncture treatment showed that
Measured values of the vascular system
Pain
Patient evaluation
Joint swelling
Generalized pain
Inability to reduce painkillers
Therefore, we can conclude that it is not a beneficial treatment method.
Electro-acupuncture treatment
Electro-acupuncture can reduce pain for the next 4 months.
Electro-acupuncture was found to be beneficial.
As a supplement
It is preferable to have it done by a skilled person.
Types of acupuncture needles
Acupuncture points
There is a possibility that the results may vary considerably due to these factors.
These results were based on a review of experiments done on 84 people in two studies. The studies compared acupuncture to erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, visual analog scale, and joint swelling, and electroacupuncture to placebo.
Casimiro L, Barnsley L, Brosseau L, Milne S, Welch V, Tugwell P, Wells GA. Acupuncture and electroacupuncture for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD003788. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003788.pub2.
Summary
The conclusions of the study indicate that electroacupuncture may be a better choice when considering treatment for rheumatoid arthritis due to the low quality of evidence for acupuncture outcomes.
In the end, we cannot ignore the aspect of preference, but for those who suffer from pain, it may be better to consider other methods to reduce the pain as soon as possible.
