Acute urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a frequent ailment for women, with six percent of adult females experiencing three or more episodes a year. In 1995, 11.3 million women in America treated UTIs with antibiotics, costing $1.6 billion. Cystitis, a condition similar to UTIs, often requires taking antibiotics preventatively, leading to antimicrobial resistance, a medical problem of increasing concern. This UTI acupuncture research study concluded that acupuncture resolved UTIs without the need for medication.
UTI Acupuncture Research
The study found that the rate of urinary tract infections among cystitis-prone women treated with acupuncture was one third the rate among untreated women and half the rate among women treated by sham (fake) acupuncture. Sham acupuncture allows patients to believe they are getting treated when in fact, the points are not acupuncture points, and therefore have no effect. In this UTI acupuncture research study, the designers evaluated the effect of acupuncture in preventing uncomplicated recurrent UTIs among adult women.
Methods
Researchers recruited 100 women aged 18 to 60 years through advertisements in local newspapers in Bergen, Norway. Recruitment took place over 12 months, beginning in the spring of 1998. To participate in the study, women had to experience three or more painful and frequent urination episodes during the previous 12 months. At least two of these episodes had to be diagnosed and treated as acute UTIs by a medical doctor. Recruiters excluded women if they were pregnant or had a complicating illness (e.g., diabetes, cancer, urinary tract obstruction).
Study Procedure
Researchers randomly divided the women into two groups. Group A received real acupuncture, while Group B received sham acupuncture. Treatment consisted of inserting sterile, stainless steel needles at select acupuncture points and obtaining “deqi” (a sensation described as numbness, heaviness, and distention). Acupuncturists selected points according to the patient’s Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnosis.
This UTI acupuncture research study applied points on the lower abdomen or back (CV3 or CV4 and BL23 or BL28) and the lower extremities (KD3, SP6, SP9, ST36, or LV3). Participants received treatment twice a week for four weeks.
Outcome Measurements
Researchers determined the primary outcome by measuring the number of acute urinary tract infections occurring at two, four, and six months after treatments concluded.
Samples used in bacteriological examinations were collected from clean-voided urine using a dip slide. Bacteriologists from the Gade Institute, Haukeland Hospital, in Bergen, Norway, examined the specimens without knowing the group assignments.
They defined acute lower UTI as the presence of the distal urinary symptoms described above and bacteriuria (105 or more colony-forming units per milliliter of uropathogen or any amount of Staphylococcus saprophyticus).
Results
There were no statistical differences between groups regarding mean age or mean number of acute lower UTIs in the twelve months preceding the study. Following treatment, 73% of women in the acupuncture group were free of UTIs during the six-month observation period, compared with 52% of women in the control group. During the six-month observation period, half as many UTI episodes per person per month occurred in the acupuncture group versus the control group.
Women in the acupuncture group experienced a 50% reduction in residual urine after six months relative to baseline. The women in the untreated group showed no significant change in residual urine. The number of women in the treated group with residual urine levels below 10 mL had doubled by the 6-month follow-up, compared with no change among women in the untreated group.
Acupuncture Prevents Recurrent UTIs
The results of this UTI acupuncture research clearly show that acupuncture reduces the recurrence rate among cystitis-prone women by half compared to untreated women. Also, women in the acupuncture group had less residual urine.
Typically, only 10% of the adult female population without specific urinary symptoms will have residual urine levels above ten mL. 75% of our participants had levels above 10 mL at the beginning of the study. Residual urine is a risk factor for recurrent UTIs among women.
In summary, this UTI acupuncture research results indicate that acupuncture effectively prevents recurrent lower UTIs in healthy adult women.
Next Steps
At Raleigh Acupuncture, we have been treating acute urinary tract infections for over fifteen years. Also, our treatment prevents the recurrence of UTIs in women who struggle with frequent UTIs. If you have recurrent urinary tract infections or cystitis, try acupuncture. Treatments are safe and relaxing, with no adverse effects.
Book Now To Schedule An Appointment Online.
Watch Video About Our UTI Treatment.
Learn About All The Conditions We Treat.
Learn About Our Treatment For Interstitial Cystitis.
References
Alraek, T., Soedal, L. I., Fagerheim, S. U., Digranes, A., & Baerheim, A. (2002). Acupuncture treatment in the prevention of uncomplicated recurrent lower urinary tract infections in adult women. American journal of public health, 92(10), 1609–1611. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.92.10.1609
What our Clients are Saying
I highly recommend Raleigh Acupuncture. I was getting urinary tract infections every three months since my son was born and it was driving me crazy. After six treatments I was cured and no longer got them. I was treated so well and am very happy.
Went to Raleigh Acupuncture for frequent UTIs. They took care of the problem and I don’t get them anymore. Thank you!
I have suffered from IC for over 10 years, with terrible cramping and burning urination, having to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes. I tried acupuncture out of desperation because I wasn’t getting relief anywhere else. It worked incredibly and took away most of my IC symptoms. Why didn’t I know about this sooner. Raleigh Acupuncture is a really good practice. They have kept me healthy for over three years now. I highly recommend them for treating IC.
