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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Acupuncture may help relieve the pain arthritis patients have in their lives.
With reports of the dangers of the anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat osteoarthritis, (OA) some patients have been turning to acupuncture. Researchers wanted to know if benefits from the treatment, when added to routine medical care, would last after the therapy stops.
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Researchers in Berlin, Germany, studied 3,553 patients who had chronic pain because of OA of the knee or hip. Some of them had up to 15 sessions of acupuncture during the first three months of the study; others had no acupuncture treatment in that time. Those who did not have acupuncture treatment at the beginning of the study had the therapy during the last three months. All patients were followed for a total of six months.
Researchers report those who were treated with acupuncture in addition to routine care showed significant improvements in their symptoms and quality of life compared with patients who only had routine care. Also, patients who had acupuncture only after three months saw similar improvements at six months.
The German Federal Committee of Physicians and Health Insurers is now considering a proposal to have state health insurance funds reimburse patients for acupuncture treatments.
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/.
SOURCE: Arthritis & Rheumatism, 2006;54:3485-3493
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