Acupuncture for Chronic Fatigue: A New Solution

For individuals dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome, can incorporating acupuncture with other treatment protocols help regain functionality and improve quality of life?

Acupuncture For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Research is exploring how acupuncture can help manage chronic fatigue symptoms. These studies focused on specific acupoints and techniques and how they affected certain symptoms or abnormalities linked to the condition. The researchers found that acupuncture may help manage and alleviate some symptoms (Qing Zhang et al., 2019). However, they were still unable to determine exactly how acupuncture works.

Symptom Relief

Various studies showed that acupuncture could improve physical and mental fatigue symptoms, including:

• Quality of life (Jessica Frisk et al., 2012)
• Mental health
• Physiological function (Dan-Xia Gao, Xing-Hua Bai, 2019)

There Were Also Improvements In

• Pain sensation/s
• GERC (gastroesophageal reflux) symptoms and life quality (Dan-Xia Gao, Xing-Hua Bai, 2019)

Other studies Found How Acupuncture Helped In

• Pain reduction
• Increased energy
• Insomnia improvements (Sibel Mand?ro?lu, Cigdem Ozdilekcan, 2017)
• Relieving gut issues like diarrhea (Lingping Zhu et al., 2018)

Treatments Vary by Study

• One case study showed improvements in groups of athletes who underwent a series of exhaustive physical exercises and short-term rest. One group of athletes received acupuncture at selected acupoints, while the others were given extended rest. The researchers analyzed the metabolic profiles of urine samples collected from the athletes at three time points: before the exercises; before and after acupuncture treatment; or after extended rest. The results indicated that the recovery of disturbed metabolites in the athletes treated with acupuncture was significantly faster than in those who only took extended rest. (Haifeng Ma et al., 2015)
• Researchers said studies involving acupuncture alone or in combination with other treatments appear to show that it is effective at lessening fatigue. (Yu-Yi Wang et al., 2014) However, further studies are needed to confirm the benefits. This contrasts with a review that found limited evidence for the effectiveness of alternative treatments in relieving chronic fatigue symptoms. (Terje Alraek et al., 2011)
• Another review of alternative therapies found that acupuncture and certain meditation techniques showed the most promise for future investigation. (Nicole S. Porter et al., 2010)
• Another study compared prednisone, a steroid, with an acupuncture technique called coiling dragon and an additional treatment called cupping. It suggested that acupuncture and cupping treatments surpassed the steroid regarding fatigue. (Wei Xu et al., 2012)
• Another study found that needling with heat application, or moxibustion, produced better results than standard acupuncture for physical and mental fatigue scores. (Chen Lu, Xiu-Juan Yang, Jie Hu 2014)

References

Zhang, Q., Gong, J., Dong, H., Xu, S., Wang, W., & Huang, G. (2019). Acupuncture for chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society, 37(4), 211–222. https://doi.org/10.1136/acupmed-2017-011582

Frisk, J., Källström, A. C., Wall, N., Fredrikson, M., & Hammar, M. (2012). Acupuncture improves health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and sleep in women with breast cancer and hot flushes. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 20(4), 715–724. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1134-8

Gao, D. X., & Bai, X. H. (2019). Zhen ci yan jiu = Acupuncture research, 44(2), 140–143. https://doi.org/10.13702/j.1000-0607.170761

Mand?ro?lu, S., & Ozdilekcan, C. (2017). Impact of Acupuncture on Chronic Insomnia: A Report of Two Cases with Polysomnographic Evaluation. Journal of acupuncture and meridian studies, 10(2), 135–138. doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2016.09.018

Zhu, L., Ma, Y., Ye, S., & Shu, Z. (2018). Acupuncture for Diarrhoea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Network Meta-Analysis. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2018, 2890465. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/2890465

Ma, H., Liu, X., Wu, Y., & Zhang, N. (2015). The Intervention Effects of Acupuncture on Fatigue Induced by Exhaustive Physical Exercises: A Metabolomics Investigation. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2015, 508302. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/508302

Wang, Y. Y., Li, X. X., Liu, J. P., Luo, H., Ma, L. X., & Alraek, T. (2014). Traditional Chinese medicine for chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Complementary therapies in medicine, 22(4), 826–833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2014.06.004

Alraek, T., Lee, M. S., Choi, T. Y., Cao, H., & Liu, J. (2011). Complementary and alternative medicine for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 11, 87. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-11-87

Porter, N. S., Jason, L. A., Boulton, A., Bothne, N., & Coleman, B. (2010). Alternative medical interventions used in the treatment and management of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 16(3), 235–249. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2008.0376

Lu, C., Yang, X. J., & Hu, J. (2014). Zhen ci yan jiu = Acupuncture research, 39(4), 313–317.