Acupuncture can significantly reduce surgical patients’ post-operative pain, and their need for powerful opioids to treat pain, according to research from Duke University Medical Center published in October, 2007.
Anesthesiologists from Duke University combed over data from over 15 randomized clinical trials from China, the United Stated and the United Kingdom to reach their conclusion. The results showed that an acupuncture treatment before surgery followed by acupuncture treatments after the surgery significantly reduced levels of postoperative pain as well as the use of painkillers after surgery.
“The most important outcome for the patient is the reduction of the side effects associated with opioids,” said T.J. Gan, M.D., the Duke anesthesiologist who presented the study at the annual scientific conference of the American Society for Anesthesiology in San Francisco in October 2007.
More research, presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ meeting in 2005 showed that acupuncture reduced rates of postoperative nausea by 32%, pruritus (itch or a sensation that makes a person want to scratch) by 25%, dizziness by 38%, and urinary retention by 71% compared with control groups.
Acupuncture is excellent for post-surgical side effects including:
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Pre and Post-operative anxiety
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Post-operative pain
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Pain Management
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Pruritis (scratching and itching)
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Dizziness
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Incontinence
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Nausea and vomiting
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Loss of appetite/stomach upset
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Swelling and inflammation
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Scar Tissue
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Scarring
One of the most unique characteristics of acupuncture is its ability to treat swelling, pain, and inflammation without putting needles anywhere near the site of injury, leaving no possibility of infection or irritation to the affected area.
