James Bryce
BRITISH and Spanish patients have taken part in clinical trials showing an alternative therapy to be effective for those suffering from chronic pain.
A review of almost 18,000 volunteers found acupuncture, an ancient Chinese practice which involves inserting thin needles into the body, to be beneficial.
The findings of the study, published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, analysed data from patients in Spain, UK, the US, Germany and Sweden.
“We found acupuncture to be superior to both no acupuncture control and sham acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain,” said researcher Dr Andrew Vickers.
“We found acupuncture to be superior to both no acupuncture control and sham acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain,”
I don´t have an issue with any kind of alternative medicine, but this is not much of a recommendation for acupuncture. Better than none or “sham”, whatever “sham” might be? Come on. Surely you can do better than this.
Does anyone know what the Archives of Internal Medicine are, or purport to be?
There is a condition called Chronic Pain that in my extensive experience is not even recognised never mind treated in Spain.
Far more complex than simple acupuncture required although it is in the first instance about management and not cure.
Information about it is readily available yet in 7 years of consultation in Spain not one medic or psychologist ever once mentioned it.
Back on topic, to recommend a procedure given it is better than none, or a ‘sham’ form is hardly a glowing reference. Acupuncture is, if you excuse the pun, a bit of a hit or a miss – even from one session to the next on the same patient. The longer lasting gains, when the patient is ready for it, is down the route of Chronic Pain Management.
After having the misfortune to use the Spanish health system extensively, both state and private, and generally have nothing but good things to say about it – other than being 20 years behind on the correlation between medicine/ surgery and psychology.