New research finds that acupuncture provides significant therapeutic benefits in patients with active Crohn’s Disease beyond the placebo effect and is an effective and safe treatment for active CD (Bao, 2014). The following post describes highlights from this ground breaking Crohn’s disease acupuncture research study.
The Problem
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease. It causes inflammation in the digestive tract, which often leads to abdominal pain, fatigue, diarrhea, malnutrition and weight loss. Inflammation caused by this condition strikes different areas of the digestive tract in different people.
Crohn’s Disease Acupuncture Research
Ninety-two patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 received real acupuncture while Group 2 received fake acupuncture. In this study fake acupuncture involved placing the needles superficially on the body, allowing patients to think they were being treated with acupuncture.
Both groups received three treatment sessions each week for 12 weeks. Follow up was conducted for an additional 24 weeks. Outcomes were measured using the Crohn’s Disease Activity Index score. Secondary outcomes were evaluated using a host of lab indicators including hemoglobin, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, quality-of-life, endoscopic ratings, and intestinal histology scores.
Results
The Crohn’s Disease Activity Index scores of both the treatment and control groups were reduced after treatment. However, the the treatment group improvement was substantially greater than that of the control group. In addition, the treatment group retained improvement in symptom reduction much better than the control.
Furthermore, he treatment group had greater overall benefits. Quality-of-life ratings were higher for this group. And there were increased hemoglobin and decreased C-reactive protein scores for the treatment group, while the control group did not show any changes.
Conclusion
Researchers found that acupuncture provided significant therapeutic benefits in patients with active Crohn’s disease beyond the placebo effect. They concluded that acupuncture was a beneficial, effective and safe treatment for Crohn’s.
Next Steps
We have been successfully treating Crohn’s patients at Raleigh Acupuncture for years. Treatment reduces inflammation, pain and bloating. Furthermore, acupuncture helps prevent flares.
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References
Bao, C., Zhao, J., Liu, H. Randomized controlled trial: moxibustion and acupuncture for the treatment of Crohn’s disease. World J Gastroenterol. 2014 Aug 21;20(31):11000-11. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i31.11000.
What our Clients are Saying
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease two years ago. I had fairly severe low abdominal pain and swelling, weight loss and really low energy. My doctor wanted to put me on steroids but I wanted to avoid that for as long as possible. I read that acupuncture could treat Crohn’s so I booked an appointment at Raleigh Acupuncture. Sure enough, the treatments eased my pain, resolved the swelling, and increased my energy. It’s been almost two years and I have yet to need steroids. Initially I got acupuncture twice a week, but after the first two months I have been on monthly maintenance treatments, and that seems to be holding me. I highly recommend Raleigh Acupuncture for Crohn’s treatment. They have made a huge difference in my life.
