Acupuncture beats aspirin...

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Dec 2, 2008

Acupuncture beats aspirin

WASHINGTON - ACUPUNCTURE works better than drugs like aspirin to reduce

the severity and frequency of chronic headaches, US researchers reported

on Monday.

A review of studies involving nearly 4,000 patients with migraine,

tension headache and other forms of chronic headache showed that that 62

per cent of the acupuncture patients reported headache relief compared

to 45 per cent of people taking medications, the team at Duke University

found.

'Acupuncture is becoming a favorable option for a variety of purposes,

ranging from enhancing fertility to decreasing post-operative pain,

because people experience significantly fewer side effects and it can be

less expensive than other options,' Dr Tong Joo Gan, who led the study,

said in a statement.

'This analysis reinforces that acupuncture also is a successful source

of relief from chronic headaches.'

Writing in Anesthesia and Analgesia, they said 53 per cent of patients

given true acupuncture were helped, compared to 45 per cent receiving

sham therapy involving needles inserted in non-medical positions.

'One of the barriers to treatment with acupuncture is getting people to

understand that while needles are used, it is not a painful experience,'

Dr Gan said. 'It is a method for releasing your body's own natural

painkillers.'

They found it took on average five to six visits for patients to report

headache relief.

Other studies have shown that acupuncture helped alleviate pain in

patients who had surgery for head and neck cancer, can relieve hot

flashes and other menopausal symptoms and can reduce

chemotherapy-induced nausea. -- REUTERS

S. Kalman PhD, RD, CCRC, FACN

Miami Research Associates

Director, Nutrition & Applied Clinical Research

6141 Sunset Drive #301

Miami, FL. 33143

(fax)

www.miamiresearch.com <http://www.miamiresearch.com>