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RESEARCH ON THE HEALTH BENEFITS
OF ACUPUNCTURE
John G. Connor, M.Ac, L.Ac.
May 2005
• According to a study published in Ann Intern Med 2004 Dec 21;141(12):901-10 by Berman BM, Lao L et al entitled "Effectiveness of acupuncture as adjunctive therapy in osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, controlled trial" involving 570 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee it was concluded that acupuncture seems to provide improvement in function and pain relief as an adjunctive therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee when compared with credible sham acupuncture and education control groups.
• The results of a study published in Rheumatology (Oxford) 1999 Apr; 38( 4): 346-54 by Berman et al entitled "A randomized trial of acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy in osteoarthritis of the knee" concluded that acupuncture is an effective and safe adjunctive therapy to conventional care for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
• The results of a study published in Danish in Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 1992 Aug; 36 (6): 519-25 entitled "Acupuncture treatment of severe knee osteoarthrosis. A long-term study" concluded that acupuncture on patients waiting for arthroplasty surgery can ease the discomfort while waiting for the operation and perhaps even serve as an alternative to surgery. Seven patients responded so well that at the time of publication they did not want an operation. Comparing the acupuncture treated group with the group receiving no acupuncture it was noted that there was a significant reduction in pain, analgesic consumption and in most objective measures. In the second part of the study it was shown that it was possible to maintain the improvements with once a month acupuncture treatments.
• According to The Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Study, Albans City Hospital, UK; Exeter University, UK; reported in Reuter's Medical Health, June 15,2001 acupuncture used by rheumatoid arthritis patients caused a significant reduction of both pain and the use of painkillers. Pain was reduced by a third in 73 percent of patients, and by at least 50 percent in more than half of those afflicted. Analgesic use also declined significantly, from an average of 17 tablets per week to just six.
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