Fibromyalgia and Acupuncture

Do you know anyone who suffers from fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a pain condition that involves muscle pain and tenderness in multiple joints or areas of the body. The pain can be hard to treat and is often chronic. 

It’s also sometimes accompanied by fatigue, poor sleep, poor memory, and changes in mood.

Like all chronic pain conditions, it typically limits people’s ability to do the activities they love – like exercising, gardening, chasing after grandkids, and more.

But acupuncture is often helpful for this challenging condition. In a 2017 study, they found that acupuncture significantly reduced pain intensity, fatigue and depression in fibromyalgia patients.

And, as if often noted in acupuncture studies, the researchers mentioned that “acupuncture did not have any side effects.”  

How many treatments are needed? 

The general recommendation for acupuncture begins with one treatment per week for 8 weeks. Acupuncture is cumulative, so the idea is that the patient should feel a little bit better, for a little bit longer, after each treatment. 

And then we can start spacing the treatments out (for example, 2 or 3 weeks between treatments) to see if the patient still feels good. 

Ultimately, I recommend a maintenance treatment once per month for my fibromyalgia patients, because it’s a chronic condition. 

Regular treatments help manage symptoms and prevent flares much more effectively than waiting for a flare up to come in for treatment.

If you or a loved one is struggling to manage your fibromyalgia, I definitely recommend giving acupuncture a try. 

It’s safe, typically has great treatment outcomes, and can allow you to get back to doing the everyday things you enjoy!

Feel free to let me know if you have questions.

https://radiantwellness.janeapp.com