Acupuncture and Peripheral Neuropathy

Neuropathic pain is one of the toughest problems to deal with.

I have had more relative failures in trying to help this problem than any other.

So I was very interested to see a pilot study that has evaluated the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on peripheral neuropathy (PN) as measured by changes in nerve conduction and assessment of subjective symptoms.

One hundred and ninety-two consecutive patients with PN as diagnosed by nerve conduction studies (NCS) were evaluated over a period of 1 year. Of 47 patients who met the criteria for PN of undefined etiology, 21 received traditional Chinese acupuncture, while 26 received medical care but no specific treatment for PN. 76% of the acupuncture group improved symptomatically and objectively as measured by NCS, while only 15% of the control group did so. 14% of the acupuncture group showed no change and 10% showed an aggravation, whereas in the control group 27% showed no change and 58% an aggravation. Subjective improvement was fully correlated with improvement in NCS in both groups.

These numbers are stunning. I might have some small quibbles about the way that the study was dne, but the results are impressive.

A second study compared Chinese and Japanese acupuncture for treating painful diabetic neuropathy. Both treatments improved pain, but only the Chinese style produced an objective improvement in the ability to feel in the affected areas.

These findings are remarkable: peripheral neuropathy can be a bear to treat, and according to the received wisdom, neither the pain nor the sensation should be able to get better. In the second study the patients were only treated once a week for ten weeks. In China such patients get daily treatments, and people in the West who treat neuropathy with acupuncture normally recommend treatments at least two or three times a week.

Both of these studies were small, but they are very encouraging.

If they are confirmed, we may to re-think another one of those, "Everyone knows that.." statements. This one about neuropathy: That is supposed to be untreatable and irreversible.

That is why the next set of studies will be super-rigorous,

They need to be.

If confirmed, we are going to be re-writing the textbooks.

Comments

[Martha Chandley]

How about some url cites for the acupuncture articles.

I'd like to use the information in a future issue of a monthly PN newsletter I do for about 250 folks in northern California and US; lead two PN support groups in Yolo County and am the voice of the Neuropathy Hotline responding to calls from three NorCal counties whose public buses have posters telling people about neuropathy; Responders are sent an info pack on support groups, types of pN, treatments, etc.

Thanks for your help.

Blessings for your practice and web site.

Responding to a daily Google Neuropathy Alert.

Martha

[Richard Petty]

Dear Martha,

The URLs of the studies are there in the posting.

Please do let me know f you have any trouble accessing them, or if I can help in any other way.

I do wish you well in your work.

Kind regards,

RP