Natural Remedy for Chronic Pain

A large analysis confirms that acupuncture provides real relief for arthritis, headaches, back, neck, and shoulder pain.  The recent report, which reviewed about 18,000 patients in 29 separate studies, found that the ancient treatment performed significantly better than either no treatment or a sham treatment (which involves placing needles in random locations.)  The authors say this research suggest that the technique's effects are not merely a placebo and would be reasonable treatment for patients with chronic pain.

January 2013;  Nuzzo, Regina, Reader's Digest-News from the World of Medicine.  Source: Andrew Vickers, PhD, statistician, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, www.nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture