New acupuncture research article for knee arthritis

[Guest guest]

Traditional Chinese Acupuncture May Be Effective for Osteoarthritis of Knee

 

Jane Salodof MacNeil

Medscape Medical News 2004. © 2004 Medscape

 

Oct. 20, 2004 (San Antonio) - Traditional Chinese acupuncture

reduces

knee pain and improves function for osteoarthritis patients, according

to a 26-week, randomized controlled trial funded by the National

Institutes of Health and reported yesterday at the annual scientific

meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.

 

Lead investigator Marc C. Hochberg, MD, MPH, from the University of

Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, presented data showing that

patients treated with traditional acupuncture improved more than

control

groups given either a " sham " acupuncture treatment or an educational

alternative. All 570 patients were told to continue using their

analgesic or anti-inflammatory medications during the trial.

 

Average pain and function subscores on the Western Ontario and

McMaster

Universities Osteoarthritis Index were 8.94 and 31.7, respectively,

with

no difference between treatment groups at baseline. Pain scores

decreased by 3.79 points and function scores by 12.42 points for

traditional acupuncture patients who completed 26 weeks of therapy.

Control subjects receiving the sham treatment showed a more modest

improvement: reductions of 2.92 points for pain and 9.87 for function.

 

The comparative changes in pain and function scores were

statistically

significant and " significantly better " than the outcomes for the

education group, according to Dr. Hochberg. He noted that the

educational alternative, Arthritis Self-Help Course, a 12-week series

of

two-hour group sessions, had previously been proven effective as an

adjunct therapy.

 

The " sham " acupuncture consisted mostly of needles taped, instead

of

inserted, to specific points on a patient's body. Because all of the

patients were new to acupuncture, Dr. Hochberg said, they did not know

they were not receiving the traditional Chinese treatment for Bi

syndrome, a diagnosis of knee pain.

 

Two thirds of the largely white population was women. Their average

age

was 65.5 years.

 

" Our study validates the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese

acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment for patients with symptomatic

osteoarthritis of the knee, " Dr. Hochberg told Medscape.

 

" It is part of the plethora of options available to the physician

for

treating his or her patient, " he added, suggesting that it can be

especially useful for patients who have a medical condition that

precludes surgery. " I would say this study moves traditional Chinese

acupuncture from the so-called list of unproven remedies the Arthritis

Foundation used to have to the list of proven remedies. "

 

A medical advisor for the Arthritis Foundation who participated in

a

description of acupuncture as unproven told Medscape the statement

should be reconsidered and probably would be in light of the study.

David T. Felson, MD, MPH, from the Boston University Medical Campus in

Massachusetts, said, however, that the language is not likely to change

considerably.

 

" This does provide new evidence that is important, and it would

make

sense for the Arthritis Foundation to reconsider, " Dr. Felson said, but

he described the effects of acupuncture as " really tiny " compared with

the sham treatment in the study.

 

A current Arthritis Foundation statement describes acupuncture as

" an

accepted arthritis treatment in many parts of the world for arthritis

and related conditions. " It describes acupuncture as safe and says it

is

" probably worth a try, especially if other treatments aren't working

for

you. "

 

ACR 68th Annual Scientific Meeting: Abstract 1718. Presented Oct.

19,

2004.

 

Attilio

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Does this speak of the effectiveness of Chinese Style Acupuncture (No Pain

No Gain) treatment style over the Japanese Style of shallow or non-insertion

technique ?

 

Ed Kasper LAc. Santa Cruz, CA

 

 

 

 

1. New acupuncture research article for knee arthritis

" Attilio D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto

Wed, 3 Nov 2004 21:23:38 -0000

" Attilio D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto

New acupuncture research article for knee arthritis

 

 

Traditional Chinese Acupuncture May Be Effective for Osteoarthritis of Knee

 

Jane Salodof MacNeil

Medscape Medical News 2004. © 2004 Medscape

 

Oct. 20, 2004 (San Antonio) - Traditional Chinese acupuncture reduces

knee pain and improves function for osteoarthritis patients,

<<< snipped>>> Pain scores decreased by 3.79 points and function scores by

12.42 points for traditional acupuncture patients who completed 26 weeks of

therapy. Control subjects receiving the sham treatment showed a more modest

improvement: reductions of 2.92 points for pain and 9.87 for function.

<<<snipped>>>

The " sham " acupuncture consisted mostly of needles taped, instead of

inserted, to specific points on a patient's body. Because all of the

patients were new to acupuncture, Dr. Hochberg said, they did not know they

were not receiving the traditional Chinese treatment for Bi syndrome, a

diagnosis of knee pain.

 

ACR 68th Annual Scientific Meeting: Abstract 1718. Presented Oct.

19,2004.

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