Acupuncture is an ancient treatment that involves inserting thin needles in distinct parts of the body.
Recent studies revealed that acupuncture might be the solution when dealing with memory loss or pre-dementia.
Acupuncture is an ancient treatment that involves inserting thin needles in distinct parts of the body.
Nothing yet had been demonstrated to slow down the progression of dementia in those who are predestinated to develop it. However, researchers proved that acupuncture used with other treatment such as medication might help maintain some memory functions.
The studies from 2012 and 2013 were conducted on around 600 people that suffered mild cognitive impairment considered pre-dementia. Five to ten percent of the people that have this cognitive impairment are known to develop dementia each year.
The study analyzed in its first stage the benefit of acupuncture alone against nimodipine (a calcium blocker that deals with the gene mutation associated with dementia), the medication usually utilized for this disease. In its second stage, the two types of solutions were combined to see their result.
Patients who participated in the study received the treatment in four trials, three to five times a week for around eight weeks. The fifth trial lasted for more than three months.
After receiving the acupuncture treatment, patients did better both in the mini-mental state exam which is a questionnaire to see the mental impairment and in the picture recognition test.
Moreover, researchers found that the combined treatment with acupuncture and nimodipine compared to nimodipine alone, improved scores on the mini-mental state exam.
The data showed that the patient treated with acupuncture alone did better that those who received medication. According to the report, the side effects of acupuncture include slow bleeding at the needle’s site and fainting during treatment. For the treatment with nimodipine, side effects include headaches, constipation, and nausea.
Because the studies were made on less than 600 people, neurologists called for future studies on larger population and also the type of acupuncture used in order to better understand the connections between the therapy and the memory loss.
Other neurologists noted that acupuncture could increase attention and alertness, thereby, the cognitive process, but more studies for a large, better-designed trial are needed before assuring patients that acupuncture is an effective treatment for dementia.
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Michael Turner
