Arthritis Answers

Does Acupuncture Help Arthritis?

It is believed that acupuncture, when used correctly, can both relieve the pain and the symptoms of several types of arthritis. Acupuncture is the ancient art of using minutely thin needles to alleviate pain and discomfort throughout the body and was first practiced over 2000 years ago in China.

In order to establish whether or not acupuncture can truly help with the relief of arthritis pain, it is important to fully understand how acupuncture actually works. The Chinese believed that the body is made up of Qi (pronounced 'chee'), a life force which travels along meridians throughout the human body. It is believed that there are some 2000 points in the human body where these meridians can become blocked or obstructed, thus causing illness or pain. Acupuncture seeks to unblock these points and allow qi to travel more freely.

Officially, the medical stance on using acupuncture to aid arthritis pain is that it does not work, or at least it has not been scientifically proven to work. Firstly, the meridians cannot be located by Western medicinal experts, and secondly the studies that have been used to prove or disprove acupuncture have either been too small or poorly put together to be taken seriously. The overwhelming evidence that weighs in the favour of acupuncture however is the fact that so many people who receive the treatment genuinely feel better afterwards, including arthritis sufferers.

The general practice for somebody suffering from arthritis is to receive an initial treatment of about one hour, then a few shorter treatments after that. If you have never had acupuncture before, you may feel dizzy or a little nauseous afterward. You may also experience a very mild discomfort as the needles enter your skin, but this is believed to stop immediately once the needles are inserted, and due to the design of the needles (solid and smooth as opposed to the sharp, hollow needles used for shots) more comfortable than most needles. When the treatment is administered, you will have approximately ten to twenty needles inserted into the skin, then left for a few minutes. The average cost of a session is about $50 although some places will charge more.

If you decide to consider acupuncture as a course of treatment for your arthritis, be sure to do so alongside the more conventional treatments that your doctor will prescribe for you, and always consult your doctor before starting any alternative therapy course.