Effectiveness of acupuncture for back pain increases with time

Breaking News for Friday, December 05, 2008 Exclusive Video from Generation Rx Film Features Dr. Julian Whitaker on the Drugging of Children GM Crops Climb to Nearly One-Tenth of Global Crop Production Consumer Product Safety Commission Sued Over Allowing Toxic Chemicals in Children's Toys Acidic Diets Cause Bone Loss; Alkaline Diet Protect Calcium in Bones Big Brother DNA Database is Illegal, Rules EU Court      See all Breaking News... FREE Natural Health Newsletter Receive natural health product reviews, recommendations and alerts. Instant download of 20+ free health reports and exclusive interviews. Join over 1.2 million monthly readers. Unsubscribe anytime, email privacy guaranteed Products Related to This Article* • The Genie In Your Genes by Dawson Church A free, downloadable summary of this book for learning about the biology of intention • Zyflamend Powerful anti-inflammatory herbal formula for arthritis, joint pain, inflammation * Recommended by the Health Ranger. See more recommendations on right → Articles Related to This Article: • Eliminate back pain with the Swopper chair that promotes active sitting • Jesse Connone, of The Healthy Back Institute, Shares Why Back Pain Occurs • Acupressure can prevent brain shrinkage in back pain sufferers (press release)

The report -- published in the British Medical Journal -- studied 241 back pain sufferers over the course of two years. The patients were divided into two groups, both of which underwent traditional treatments for lower back pain such as medication, physical therapy and exercise. One group also received 10 acupuncture sessions -- the ancient Chinese art that involves placing fine needles at specific meridians of the body -- over a three-month period.

The researchers surveyed the patients for satisfaction and pain levels, and after three months there was almost no difference between the two groups. By the 12-month follow-up, the acupuncture group showed a minor improvement over the traditionally treated group, and by the 24-month mark, the difference between the two groups was greater.

"That's a remarkable finding, in that normally you would expect the benefit of the treatment to wear off," researcher Hugh Macpherson said. "This is the first study to show this growing gap up to the two-year point. It is quite unique in that sense."

The researchers also performed a separate cost-analysis study in which they discovered the average price of treating the traditional group was $647, while adding the acupuncture regimen only increased the treatment costs to $863, leading them to conclude the treatments are cost-effective.

Experts say lower back pain is not only one of the most common medical complaints, but is also a leading cause of workers calling in sick.

###
Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter

Related CounterThink Cartoons:

Related Articles: • Eliminate back pain with the Swopper chair that promotes active sitting • Jesse Connone, of The Healthy Back Institute, Shares Why Back Pain Occurs • Acupressure can prevent brain shrinkage in back pain sufferers (press release)	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/020437.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. Embed article link: (copy HTML code below): <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/020437.html">Effectiveness of acupuncture for back pain increases with time</a>