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BALTIMORE (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- About one-third of adults over age 50 have osteoarthritis a condition where bones and joints become achy and painful. While treatments are available, they don't always alleviate the pain. Now an ancient treatment offers an alternative to modern-day arthritis care.
Every two weeks, Joy Berman takes this walk to a place she didn't need until last year. "I was getting more uncomfortable and more difficult walking up and down the stairs, and so I wanted to try something and see if it would help me," she tells Ivanhoe.
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Berman has osteoarthritis. She turned to acupuncturist Lixing Lao, Ph.D., to ease the pain in her knees. "According to Chinese medical theory, acupuncture balances the energy in the body," Lao, of University of Maryland in Baltimore, tells Ivanhoe.
According to a recent study, it also decreases pain from osteoarthritis. Rheumatologist Marc Hochberg, M.D., says it could help patients who don't respond to standard treatments.
"I think it gives patients another avenue for treatment," says Dr. Hochberg, also of University of Maryland.
That avenue could be the right path for many. "They may indeed notice an improvement in their symptoms and improvement in their functional capacity, and that's really what we want out of the treatment," says Dr. Hochberg.
The study shows more than 70 percent of patients had a 50-percent improvement in their pain.
Lao says, "We had very remarkable improvement in terms of pain, stiffness, function, and change. Quite remarkable compared to the non-treatment patients."
In traditional acupuncture, needles are manipulated by hand to elicit a response. Now, doctors use electrical stimulation to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment.
Berman says, "I have less pain. I don't have that much pain when I'm walking. Sometimes I feel almost normal." Patients like her keep Lao inspired. "My favorite part is that the patient come back, say 'I feel better.' This make me very happy," Lao says.
Lao says acupuncture can boost the immune system and decrease inflammation. It is meant to be used in combination with standard treatments and not in place of them.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Brian Berman, M.D.
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Kernan Hospital
2200 Kernan Dr.
Baltimore, MD 21207
(410) 448-6871
bberman@compmed.umm.edu
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