Controlling arthritis pain is extremely difficult. The worst part about arthritis is that regular medicines that curb inflammation do not help much. There are only a few reliable treatments for arthritis. However, an ancient Chinese practice called moxibustion may help control arthritis pain. In fact, there are many studies that show this traditional practice provides relief to arthritis patients. The best part about this traditional method is that it does not have any side effects.
Many pain-relief methods for arthritis do provide relief, but they have harmful side-effects. But moxibustion is safe to use to control arthritis pain. A study was published online in Arthritis Research and Therapy. This study aimed at studying the effects of moxibustion on arthritis-affected patients. It was a placebo-based study and consisted of 110 individuals suffering from arthritis. These patients were diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis by the American College of Rheumatology.
Each of the patients was analyzed for the level of pain he or she was suffering in order to study the effects of moxibustion accurately. Each of the patients had a pain score of three or higher out of 10. The criteria of the study were rather strict. During the selection of patients to study, researchers came across some patients who had been treated with moxibustion previously. In addition to this, there were certain individuals who had received topical arthritis therapy. Such patients were excluded from the study so that the results would be reliable.
Once the candidates were selected, they were divided into two groups. One group was given proper moxibustion treatment. The other group was given a placebo treatment. Therapy sessions were held for both groups for six weeks. There were only three sessions each week. Each of the practitioners was renowned and had five years of experience, at the least. They were trained in moxibustion and acupuncture treatments.
The treatment results were monitored by researchers at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Moxibustion therapy was found to be more effective in controlling pain. In fact, the patients in the placebo group did not notice any improvement at all. On the other hand, the patients in the active treatment group were able to control arthritis pain with moxibustion.
Even though the feedback from this study was positive, there is still a lot that needs to be considered. In fact, the researchers plan on conducting further studies to authenticate the results. Moxibustion could become a revolutionary treatment for arthritis pain and inflammation management.