Discover How Acupuncture Can Transform Your Battle Against Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain and Inflammation
Living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can feel like an endless cycle of joint pain, morning stiffness, and inflammation that significantly impacts your daily life. While conventional medications remain the cornerstone of RA treatment, many patients are discovering the powerful benefits of acupuncture as a complementary therapy to enhance their overall care strategy.
Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Need for Comprehensive Care
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune musculoskeletal disease that mainly manifests as symmetrical persistent synovitis, rheumatic pain, and destructive polyarthritis. It is a chronic, inflammatory systemic illness that affects the whole body, especially the joints, where the immune system mistakenly begins to attack healthy tissue. Without active treatment, RA may lead to joint destruction, limited physical function, and even severe disability.
Pharmacological agents for alleviating symptoms may lead to serious adverse events (e.g., myelosuppression, liver and kidney impairment, gastrointestinal bleeding, and infections) and may impose a heavy economic burden on patients, which may limit the compliance. Consequently, patients with RA still need alternative and complementary treatments to gain additional relief and treatments with fewer side effects.
The Science Behind Acupuncture for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Modern research has revealed fascinating insights into how acupuncture works for RA patients, moving beyond traditional concepts to evidence-based mechanisms. Among all the proposed mechanisms, anti-inflammatory effect has been the most often mentioned which was supposed to provide nonanalgesic effects via suppression of inflammatory response, improvement of blood flow, or relaxation of muscle tone.
Acupuncture at acupoints can induce certain cells proliferation and migration, especially for fibroblasts, and modulate the production and secretion of cytokines, growth factors, and inflammatory mediators such as CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6. Besides, it can also decrease oxidative stress, improve tissue oxygenation, and relieve pain. Acupuncture can effectively reduce the level of IL-6 in peripheral blood of patients with RA, which demonstrates that it has a high anti-inflammatory activity in the treatment of RA.
Clinical Evidence Supporting Acupuncture’s Effectiveness
Recent comprehensive research provides compelling evidence for acupuncture’s benefits in RA treatment. A systematic review indicated the efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment for patients with RA, concluding that acupuncture alone or combined with other treatment modalities is beneficial to the clinical conditions of RA without adverse effects reported and can improve function and quality of life.
A review of 43 studies, conducted between 1974 and 2018 and reported in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, concluded that “acupuncture alone or combined with other treatment modalities is beneficial to the clinical conditions of RA and can improve function and quality of life, and is worth trying.” The review cites several possible ways acupuncture effects RA, including its anti-inflammatory effect, antioxidative effect and regulation of immune system function.
Studies show that both traditional acupuncture and electro-acupuncture may serve as an adjunct by reducing the number of tender joints in patients with refractory RA compared to sham acupuncture. A 2022 study of 2,115 individuals with RA examined the efficacy of different types of acupuncture in combination with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The researchers found that electro-acupuncture was the most effective treatment in combination with the DMARDs, with the combination having the greatest improvement on the DAS28 score, which is a measure of the severity of rheumatoid arthritis.
Safety Profile and Complementary Approach
There were no adverse effects of acupuncture reported. However, it’s crucial to understand that acupuncture should not be used as the sole treatment for RA, but rather as an additional treatment, in conjunction with RA disease-modifying medications. Acupuncture is not a cure for RA, but it may provide some temporary relief of RA-related joint pain.
Acupuncture can help with RA-related pain, just as it does with other types of pain, through the stimulation of endorphin production. It is a tool to fight pain with minimal side effects, which can be undertaken along with medication treatment.
Finding Expert Acupuncture Care for Rheumatoid Arthritis
When seeking acupuncture treatment for RA, it’s essential to work with qualified practitioners who understand both traditional acupuncture principles and modern evidence-based approaches. For those in the Long Island area, westbury acupuncture services through Think Acupuncture offer comprehensive care combining ancient wisdom with contemporary scientific understanding.
Think Acupuncture blends ancient traditional wisdom and modern scientific research to provide the highest level of clinical care possible. They’re committed to helping you achieve your best health, with convenient locations in Huntington and Ronkonkoma, dedicated to offering safe, drug-free solutions to address a variety of health concerns. Their Long Island Acupuncture team is comprised of New York State Licensed Acupuncturists holding the highest training in the state. Additionally, their acupuncturists are nationally board certified in both acupuncture and Chinese Herbology.
What to Expect During Treatment
A comprehensive acupuncture approach for RA typically involves multiple sessions over several weeks. Research studies have shown that patients received 20 sessions over a period of 10 weeks. Pain management solutions featuring acupuncture provide a safe and effective alternative to alleviate your pain. Experience relief with customized treatments, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t try them sooner!
At professional clinics, practitioners conduct a thorough evaluation to create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your unique needs. Traditional Chinese and Japanese acupuncture recognizes that many times aches, pains and other discomforts are only symptoms of a deeper underlying health problem. Therefore, a comprehensive diagnosis is compiled, which takes into account the individual’s body, mind, and spirit. The theory behind this healing approach is known as “Root-Branch Philosophy”. The “branch” is the symptom that the patient is experiencing and the “root” is the cause of the manifestation of that symptom.
Insurance Coverage and Accessibility
Most insurance providers, including NYSHIP, United Healthcare, Aetna, and Empire BCBS, cover acupuncture for pain management. New York State’s no-fault insurance (auto accident) and Workers’ Compensation also include acupuncture coverage. Many insurance companies are recognizing that acupuncture and East Asian Medicine is an effective healthcare system that both treats and prevents illness. Prior to treatment, after supplying your insurance information, practitioners will provide a free examination of your insurance benefits to see if you have coverage.
Taking the Next Step
If you’re living with rheumatoid arthritis and seeking comprehensive pain management solutions, acupuncture offers a scientifically-supported, safe complementary therapy that can enhance your existing treatment plan. Acupuncture could improve patient’s symptoms, delay the progression, and reduce pain in the treatment of RA. Acupuncture is usually used with the combination of DMARDs for RA. Previous studies have confirmed that acupuncture combined with DMARDs is better than DMARDs alone.
The growing body of research supporting acupuncture’s anti-inflammatory effects, immune system modulation, and pain relief capabilities makes it a valuable addition to comprehensive RA care. By working with qualified practitioners who understand both traditional principles and modern evidence, patients can experience improved quality of life while maintaining their essential medical treatments.