Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition
characterized by a chronic inflammatory affecting many parts of body in
particular the joints. It causes pain and swelling in joints, and usually
starts in the wrists, hands or feet, and can spread to other joints, resulting
in stiffness, progressive joint destruction and deformity. Rheumatoid arthritis
gradually reduces patient’s physical function, quality of life and life
expectancy. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not clear. People of any age
can develop it, but it is most common between ages of 30 and 50 years, and
among women. It is believed that genetic, diet, hormone imbalance have all been
implicated as risk factors. There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. The
standard treatment is to control pain and inflammation, reduce joint damage,
disability and loss of function.
In china acupuncture is a popular choice for the
treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Acupuncture not only alleviates pain caused
by the condition but modulates immune system and decreases the inflammatory
response resulting in swelling reduction. Clinical studies of acupuncture with
rheumatoid arthritis showed that acupuncture reduced inflammatory enhancing
chemical signals such as tumor necrosis factor and vascular endothelial growth
factors in the blood and joint synovial of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Refence:
Ouyang BS et al., Effect of electro-acupuncture on tumor
necrosis factor-α and vascular endothelial growth factor in peripheral blood
and joint synovia of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Chin J Integr Med.
2011 Jul;17(7):505-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21725875
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