No wonder acupuncture has enjoyed growing acceptance as an alternative solution to pain reduction. In fact, of the many ills, injuries, and pathologies that acupuncture is used to treat, it has been employed for pain relief the most. Its reputation has spread in the United States through a grassroots consumer movement by word of mouth rather than by physicians' recommendations and referrals.
Acupuncture and acute and chronic pain: Encouraged by the good results obtained in using acupuncture anesthesia, researchers in Germany started therapeutic acupuncture in outpatient clinics. Acupuncture was regarded as successful when 1) the patient had no complaints at all without medication and 2) there was significant improvement. Treatment for cephalgia (head pain) was successful in 83% of the cases, cervical pain syndromes in 80%, sinusitis in 86%, trigeminal neuralgia in 90%, colitis ulcerosa in 100%, tumor pain in 61%.
In England, the effect of acupuncture was assessed in one hundred and eighty-three patients attending the pain clinic of a cancer hospital. Results were promising, with 82% of the patients obtaining benefit for hours or days. Fifty-three percent obtained significant help, particularly with vascular problems and muscle spasms. The researchers report that acupuncture was significantly helpful with malignant pain problems. (J. Filshie, D. Redman, 1986)
The long-term effects of acupuncture analgesia are importa1nt to pain sufferers. An American study addressed this issue in a six-year follow-up study of 837 patients. These patients were treated in a pain clinic for arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, low back pain, migraine headaches and trigeminal neuralgia. The results were the majority (73 percent) realized substantial reduction of pain or obtained total pain relief.
Acupuncture and temporomandibular joint pain (TMJ): In Finland, twenty-five patients who received acupuncture were compared to twenty-five others who had conventional pain treatment..............
