Fybromyalgia
Tai chi better than stretching for fibromyalgia – Journal of Chinese Medicine, Feb 2011
Tai chi is more effective at relieving the pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia than conventional stretching exercises, according to a randomised controlled trial carried out by American investigators. Sixty-six patients were randomly assigned to twice-weekly 60-minute sessions of either Yang-style tai chi or a control intervention consisting of wellness education and stretching, over a 12 week period. All 33 patients in the tai chi group reported improvements in fibromyalgia symptom scores and quality of life. These improvements were significantly greater than those seen in the stretching group and were maintained at 12-week follow-up. (A randomized trial of tai chi for fibromyalgia. N Engl J Med. 2010 Aug 19;363(8):743-54).
Acupuncture for fibromyalgia – Journal of Chinese Medicine, Oct 2010
A systematic review of TCM therapies for treatment of fibromyalgia has concluded that they appear to be effective. The authors looked at twenty-five RCTs (1516 participants) of which ten were eligible for meta-analysis. Acupuncture reduced pain scores and number of tender points compared with conventional medication, however it showed no significant effect on pain reduction compared with sham acupuncture. A combination of acupuncture and cupping therapy was better than conventional medication for reducing pain and for improving depression scores. Other individual trials demonstrated positive effects of Chinese herbal medicine on pain reduction compared with conventional medication. (Traditional Chinese Medicine for treatment of fibromyalgia: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Altern Complement Med. 2010 Apr;16(4):397-409).