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Got Knee Pain?
If you have knee pain acupuncture may be able to help. Don't just take my word for it. In the words of Dr. Brian Berman "...acupuncture is an effective complement to conventional arthritis treatment..." A recent federally funded study reported that patients reported not only an increase of function but also a 40% reduction in pain. Conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, it is one of the largest ever conducted. The 570 patients selected for this research were aged 50 and older with osteoarthritis. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups that either received acupuncture, sham acupuncture or a self care course. Patients received treatment for 26 weeks while continuing with whatever pain medication or anti–inflammatory medications they were already taking. Within eight weeks patients reported increased joint function and within 14 weeks a significant reduction in pain.
In related news—when is pain a good thing? Well, if you never felt pain you wouldn't know that your body was telling you "danger! danger!". Pain is the signal that your body feels threatened and something needs to be done. But why does pain sometimes persist after the original wound has healed? Doctors and researchers are now coming to understand that chronic pain may be seen a disease in itself. The thinking is that when pain pathways in the nervous system get "stuck" in the on position for too long they may have a hard time becoming "unstuck". What started as a symptom becomes the disease. For this reason it becomes imperative to address pain early and aggressively to prevent it from becoming chronic and more difficult to resolve.
Statistically, one in five Americans lives with chronic pain. Backs, necks, shoulders, knees, elbows, pain Among those who are least understood are those with fibromyalgia with painful symptoms affecting the bones and muscles and joints all over the body. What's a pain sufferer to do? Most patients with chronic pain find that a multiple therapeutic approach works best. Medication alone is rarely a perfect solution. Sometimes loosing weight, examining eating habits or getting more (or less) exercise is part of the solution. When that is not enough, seeking out a licensed practitioner of complimentary medicine may be the wise thing to do. There are many natural, drug free therapies to choose from. Chinese medicine is one of the oldest continually practiced medical therapies and is continually evolving to meet the needs of patients in the world today. I see people every day whose quality of life is improving thanks to Chinese medicine. Are you of the 20% of Americans living in chronic pain? Will acupuncture help your condition? You'll never know unless you try.
© 2003–2008 Larry Forsberg. All rights reserved.
Articles posted on this Web site are for personal use only and remain the property of Larry Forsberg, L.Ac.
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