ROCHESTER, Minn., June 14 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests acupuncture reduces the symptoms of fibromyalgia, a disorder characterized by chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., studied 50 fibromyalgia patients enrolled in a randomized, controlled trial to determine if acupuncture improved their symptoms.
Symptoms of patients who received acupuncture significantly improved compared with the control group, according to the study published in the June issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
"The results of the study convince me there is something more than the placebo effect to acupuncture," said lead author Dr. David Martin, a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist.
"It affirms a lot of clinical impressions that this complementary medical technique is helpful for patients."
No cure is known for fibromyalgia, which may also involve stiff joints and sleep disturbances. Available treatments are only partially effective, according to Martin.
