Acupuncture treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is notoriously difficult to treat. But now a growing body of research suggests that acupuncture may be able to alleviate some of those many symptoms.

A significant amount of research has been conducted since the early 2000s. Acupuncture is not a cure and is not likely to completely relieve symptoms, but when combined with other treatments, it can be part of a regimen that helps restore function and quality of life. there is.

Many of these studies focused on specific acupuncture points and techniques associated with specific symptoms and abnormalities associated with the condition. These don’t mean anything to most people, so I won’t explain them in detail here. However, if you would like to share these studies with experts, for more information on these studies, please visit source of information Section at the end of this article.

Research: Symptom Relief

Some studies have shown that acupuncture can improve both physical and mental fatigue, as well as may:

• Health-related quality of life
• general mental health
• physiological function

Some products also see improvements in:

• social function
• sensation of pain

Various studies have cited improvements in the following points:

• energy
• anorexia
• insomnia
• amnesia
• diarrhea
• general pain

The number and duration of treatments varies between studies. One case study showed that after 10 treatments of 30 minutes each, the patient became more active without fatigue and the patient’s overall mental state improved. After 10 more treatments, the fatigue and heaviness of the limbs decreased. The patient received a total of 50 treatments, and the results appeared to be continuing at 3-month follow-up.

A 2014 review of the medical literature states that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research for ME/CFS is at high risk of bias. However, researchers said that TCM (including studies involving acupuncture) appears to be effective at reducing fatigue, either alone or in combination with other treatments. They are calling for larger, well-designed studies to confirm potential benefits.

This is a significant improvement over a 2011 review that stated there was limited evidence about the effectiveness of complementary/alternative treatments (including acupuncture) to reduce ME/CFS symptoms. It seems. Meanwhile, a 2010 review of alternative therapies said acupuncture and some types of meditation showed the most promise for future research.

A 2012 study compared the steroid prednisone to an acupuncture technique called coiling dragon and an additional TCM treatment called cupping. It was suggested that TCM treatment is superior to drugs in terms of measures against fatigue.

In at least one study, a technique called warm acupuncture or moxibustion showed even better results than standard acupuncture when it came to physical and mental fatigue scores.