A recent study suggests that acupuncture does offer at least some degree of pain relief; however, the treatment isn’t likely to provide lasting help for people who suffer from TMJ disorder.
Help with Some Pain
To assess acupuncture’s efficacy for treating pain, researchers combined results from 29 studies that included a total of 18,000 patients who experienced common types of chronic pain, including arthritis, backaches and recurring headaches. In the end, they found that the alternative treatment appeared to offer slightly more benefit than did “sham” acupuncture, a placebo treatment that gives subjects the impression they are being treated with traditional acupuncture, when they are not.
Skeptics Cry Foul
Not everyone is lauding this new study. According to Dr. Stephen Barrett, a retired psychiatrist who runs a popular medical scam website, most acupuncture studies tend to involve strict conditions that do not mimic how the procedure is used out in the real world. That said, some health professionals say the treatment is worth prescribing, even if it only provides imagined psychological benefits to patients.
Not for TMJ Disorder
Even if acupuncture does provide some type of pain relief, it wouldn’t be a good solution for people who are suffering from TMJ disorder, because it would only provide temporary pain relief.
To permanently cure TMJ pain, you need a reliable treatment that targets the source of your problem: a bad bite. Contact Dr. Berry online or call (303) 691-0267 today, to get real, lasting relief from your TMJ pain.
