Acupuncture may relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia

AORN Journal,  Oct, 2005  

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Patients suffering from fibromyalgia may find relief through acupuncture, according to an Aug 25, 2005, news release from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder of the nervous system, and available medications may not relieve all disease-related symptoms of pain and fatigue.

A study included 50 patients diagnosed with moderate to severe fibromyalgia for whom other symptom-relief treatments had been ineffective. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture or simulated acupuncture treatments administered in six sessions over two to three weeks. The simulated acupuncture treatments were believable, and the participants were unable to determine which group they were in. After the treatments, participants who received acupuncture reported minimal side effects and significant improvement in symptoms of pain, fatigue, and anxiety compared to patients who received simulated acupuncture.

Participants who received acupuncture experienced the largest improvement at one month after treatment, but by seven months after treatment, their symptoms of pain, anxiety, and fatigue had returned to baseline levels. Researchers believe that the study participants would have experienced sustained improvement with ongoing acupuncture treatments two to three months after initial treatment.

Mayo Clinic Study Finds Acupuncture Relieves Symptoms of Fibromyalgia (news release, Rochester, Minn: Mayo Clinic, Aug 25, 2005) http://www.mayodinic.org /news2005-rst/3000.html (accessed 1 Sept 2005).

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