Study Shows Acupuncture Relieves Fatigue, Anxiety in Fibromyalgia Patients
Researchers estimate that the majority of fibromyalgia patients try alternative treatments to relieve their symptoms. The ancient Chinese needle practice, acupuncture, might be one that can help.
A study published in the June edition of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings shows acupuncture can relieve fatigue and anxiety in fibromyalgia patients for up to seven months after the treatment. This study was also presented at the 11th World Congress on Pain.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome, a recognizable constellation of symptoms of unknown causation. The primary symptom of fibromyalgia is widespread muscle pain. The majority of sufferers are women between the ages of 34 and 56. Ten to twenty percent of those with FMS are severely debilitated.
As recently as twenty years ago, fibromyalgia was unrecognized. Clinical examinations often revealed no concrete findings. X-rays, blood tests, and muscle biopsies appeared normal, and therefore the symptoms seemed unexplained. Currently, a diagnosis is made by first ruling out other conditions that may mimic its symptoms such as hypothyroidism, lupus, Lyme disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Then the diagnosis is based upon the patient’s history and physical findings. A history of generalized muscle pain and malaise coupled with the finding of 11 of 18 specific tender points is suggestive of fibromyalgia.
Primary symptoms: Pain, Fatigue, Sleep disturbances, Secondary symptoms, Stiffness, Headache and facial pain, Abdominal discomfort, Irritable bladder, Numbness or tingling, Chest pain, Cognitive disorders, Environmental sensitivity, Disorientation & balance problems.
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