Acupuncture before and during surgery reduces the need for powerful painkillers

Interesting study...if it can reduce the amount of painkillers needed after surgery that would certainly be right up there in my book..BD

A new study has found that using acupuncture before and during surgery significantly reduces the level of pain and level of painkillers needed by patients following surgery. According to anesthesiologists at Duke University Medical Center the amount of powerful pain killers needed for patients who received acupuncture was much lower than those who did not have acupuncture. This is important for the patient because it means the side effects associated with opioids such as nausea, vomiting and severe itching are considerably reduced.

The specialists who combined the data from 15 small randomized acupuncture clinical trials say such side effects can negatively impact on a patient's recovery from surgery and lengthen the time they spend in hospital. Dr. Tong Joo Gan, who presented the results of the analysis at the annual scientific conference of the American Society for Anesthesiology in San Francisco, says based on the results of the analysis, acupuncture should be considered a viable option for pain control in surgery patients.