A study published on June 26 in JAMA Network Open reveals that acupuncture can enhance sleep quality in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.
The research, led by Mingyue Yan, Ph.D., from the First Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine in China, involved 78 patients who struggled with sleep.
In this study, the participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group received real acupuncture treatments, while the other group received sham (fake) acupuncture over a period of four weeks.
Both groups showed an increase in their Parkinson Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) scores, which measure sleep quality.
However, the group that received real acupuncture showed a significantly greater improvement in their PDSS scores compared to the sham group, both after the four weeks of treatment and at an eight-week follow-up.
Importantly, there were no severe side effects reported in either group, and any moderate side effects were effectively managed. This suggests that acupuncture is a safe treatment option for improving sleep in Parkinson’s patients.
The authors of the study concluded that acupuncture not only improved sleep quality but also enhanced the overall quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease.
The benefits of acupuncture persisted for up to four weeks after treatment, highlighting its potential as a valuable addition to the management of sleep issues in Parkinson’s patients.
The researchers recommend that future studies include a more diverse group of participants to ensure that the findings can be applied to a broader population of Parkinson’s patients.
Additionally, it’s noted that two of the authors have patents related to the sham needles used in the study.
This study offers promising evidence that acupuncture could be a helpful treatment for sleep problems in those with Parkinson’s disease, providing an alternative or complementary option to traditional treatments.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that Vitamin B may slow down cognitive decline, and Mediterranean diet could help lower risk of Parkinson’s.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing Plant-based diets could protect cognitive health from air pollution.
The research findings can be found in JAMA Network Open.
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