Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia is associated with the death of nerve cells in the brain. Internal structures of nerve cells become severely twisted and tangled. Sections of the brain become clogged with debris from destroyed cells. At the psychological level, the person begins to lose memories and parts of their personality. Mood, behavior, and bodily processes slowly grind to a halt. It is a disease you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.
There is new evidence however, that posits that acupuncture may help patients dealing with AD. In this article, we give a synopsis of the studies that correlate acupuncture with beneficent effects on AD.
Acupuncture Safe and Effective
Overall, these studies found that at a basic level, acupuncture was safe and effective. On top of that, the procedure is shown to be statistically significant in its healthful benefits to AD patients.
Here are the conclusions researchers found, as well as number of participants, and experiment conditions.
- “Acupuncture is safe, well tolerated and effective in improving the cognitive function.” 79 participants; 2017; China [1]
- “It is reasonable to promote acupuncture as a means to prevent neurodegenerative related dysfunction. Increasing acupuncture availability for Alzheimer’s disease patients will improve patient outcomes.” 2014; China [2]
- “The study demonstrates that electroacupuncture pretreatment has a neuroprotective function in the hippocampus, suggesting that this technique could be used to protect learning and memory functions, and prevent senile dementia” 24 participants; 2014; China [3]
- “The biochemical modulations by acupuncture in the brains of Alzheimer's models are correlated with the cognitive improvement. Acupuncture stimulation at acupoints enhances cholinergic neurotransmission, trophic factor releasing, reduces apoptotic and oxidative damages, improves synaptic plasticity and decreases the levels of Aβ proteins in the hippocampus and relevant brain regions.” 2013; London [4]
- “Researchers concluded that acupuncture is very helpful for reducing anxiety and depression associated with Alzheimer’s. Changes in mood were substantiated by multiple measures and were both statistically and clinically significant. The patients also benefited from increased energy and relief of pain from other age-related conditions.” 11 patients, 2000; United States [5]
“I think people should check it out. Besides anxiety and depression, they are likely to have other issues such as pain that can be helped with acupuncture.” -Dr. Nancy Emerson Lombardo
Because of its efficacy and very few side effects, acupuncture has attracted more and more attention in recent years. Patients in these studies also seemed to benefit from the relationship with the acupuncturist. During each session, acupuncturists provide sympathetic listening and conversation. Talking and conversing has been shown to aid AD and dementia patients memory recall.
