FRIDAY, July 5, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Acupuncture is associated with improved sleep quality in people with Parkinson’s disease, reports a study published online June 26. JAMA Network Open.
Dr. Mingyue Yang and colleagues from the First Clinical School of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China randomly selected 78 Parkinson’s disease patients with poor sleep quality to receive real or sham acupuncture for four weeks.
The researchers found that both the real and sham groups experienced significant increases in Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) scores from baseline. After 4 weeks of treatment, the real group had significantly greater increases in PDSS scores at 4-week and 8-week follow-up compared to the sham group. No serious adverse events were reported in either study arm, and all moderate adverse events were appropriately managed.
“In this randomized clinical trial, acupuncture improved sleep quality and overall quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease. Treatment benefits lasted for up to four weeks, highlighting the potential of acupuncture as a valuable adjunct in managing sleep-related problems in people with Parkinson’s disease,” the authors wrote. “Future studies should consider diverse participant samples to ensure that results can be applied to the broader Parkinson’s disease population.”
Two authors hold patents related to the simulated needles described in this study.
Abstract/Full text
