Acupuncture more effective than medication for period pain
24/01/11 10:45
Acupuncture is a more effective treatment for period pain than the most commonly used medications; this is the finding of a large comprehensive review recently published. The systematic review looked at 27 studies that involved 2960 patients. The authors concluded that acupuncture was more effective than drug treatments or herbal remedies at providing pain relief from primary dysmenorrhoea (period pain). The medications that were compared with acupuncture included the most popular over the counter remedy, ibuprofen (found in nurofen and numerous other branded pain killing remedies) and indomethacin, a stronger medication only available on prescription.1
Both ibuprofen and indomethacin are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs have a checkered safety record, especially with regard to their propensity to cause stomach bleeds. NSAIDs cause the deaths of two and a half thousand people every year in the UK.2
Acupuncture, however, is remarkably safe, with serious side-effects being extremely rare when treated by competent practitioners.
When combined with acupuncture's excellent safety record, this evidence provides a strong argument for acupuncture to be used far more widely in the treatment of disabling period pain.
1 Cho S-H, Hwang E-W. Acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhoea: a systematic review. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2010; 117: 509-521
2 Bandoler. NSAIDs and adverse effects. http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/painpag/nsae/nsae.html#Heading11
Both ibuprofen and indomethacin are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs have a checkered safety record, especially with regard to their propensity to cause stomach bleeds. NSAIDs cause the deaths of two and a half thousand people every year in the UK.2
Acupuncture, however, is remarkably safe, with serious side-effects being extremely rare when treated by competent practitioners.
When combined with acupuncture's excellent safety record, this evidence provides a strong argument for acupuncture to be used far more widely in the treatment of disabling period pain.
1 Cho S-H, Hwang E-W. Acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhoea: a systematic review. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2010; 117: 509-521
2 Bandoler. NSAIDs and adverse effects. http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/painpag/nsae/nsae.html#Heading11