Acupuncture May Be Effective in Treating Alzheimer's, Memory Loss, Pre-Dementia, Chinese Researchers Say
Ancient Acupuncture Practice Could Help Memory Loss
Acupuncture may help slow down the memory loss that precedes Alzheimer's disease and pre-dementia.
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese practice that uses needles to target specific points in the body, treating a variety of not only just physical, but mental and emotional conditions. The practice has spread to the West and Chinese researchers believe that acupuncture could benefit those suffering from memory loss, especially preceding pre-Dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Acupuncture and Nimodipine May Slow Down Alzheimer's and Dementia
There is currently no treatment that could prevent Alzheimer's disease and Dementia from forming. However, Wuhan University researchers in China found that acupuncture, and combining it with nimodipine, may help slow down the progression of the diseases.
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Researchers Min Deng and Xu-Feng Wang got the idea after their review of published studies in 2012 and 2013. The studies showed that in about 500 people, those who had acupuncture performed 10 percent better in mental tests than their peers. Telegraph reports that lower mental test scores were linked with earlier progression of Alzheimer's and Dementia and if acupuncture improved the results of the patients, it could also possibly help slow down the conditions.
Furthermore, the studies also compared acupuncture alone, or nimodipine alone, or both. According to WebMD, acupuncture patients faired best at the mini mental exams. Second were those who got acupuncture and nimodipine. Side effects of acupuncture include fainting and slow bleeding at the puncture holes. For nimodipine, patients reportedly experienced headache, constipation and nausea.
The Chinese researchers' review was published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine.
Acupuncture Benefits Not Yet Studied
There are currently no studies about acupuncture, so its benefits and risks are unknown. Acupuncture researcher, Dr. Remy Coeytaux of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, expressed his doubts about the review, US News and World Report noted.
He stated that while the studies say that acupuncture can be beneficial, he doubts the quality of the studies. Almost hinting it as 'poorly done' since the data from the original studies cannot be trusted due to bias. Dr. Coeytaux also added that acupuncture might have a placebo effect on the patients and that is something difficult to measure. Further investigation about the effects of acupuncture on memory loss is warranted.
Do you believe acupuncture can be beneficial for memory loss and other neurodegenerative diseases? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
