Acupuncture could significantly improve neurological functions
in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as shown in a case report in
journal Acupunct Meridian Study.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), one of motor neuron
diseases, is a neurodegenerative disorder. It is characterized by the rapidly
progressive muscle weakness leading individuals to loss their strength and the
ability to move their arms, legs and body, and accompanied by impaired
swallowing, speech and breathing. The cause of the disease is not known and
there is no cure for the condition. The available medication such as Rilutek
has been shown only to temporally prolong survival time with many side effects.
Researchers in the United State reported an acupuncture case
study after seeing markedly improvement in patients with ALS. Two patients with
ALS were treated with acupoint injections of Enercel (an herbal preparation
consisting of small diluted amount of a variety of plants). Neurological conditions
were assessed before and after treatment and the follow-up. The treatment was
carried out at the specific acupoints once a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks.
Patient 1 was a 59-year-old female with one year history of ALS.
Before treatment, she showed a flaccid paralysis of all extremities and
impaired speech and swallowing. After treatment she demonstrated a significant improvement
in motor strength in her hands and feet, in speech and swallowing. A 3-month
follow-up assessment found her clinical status slowly worsened but was still
improved compared with baseline.
Patient 2 was a 49-year-old male with 16-month history of ALS
and had an impaired speech and a mild motor loss of upper extremities and the
left leg. Following 4-week treatment his motor function returned to normal and
his speech is understandable. The patient continued to have the same treatment
during 3-month follow-up and his improvement was maintained.
The case study showed that acupoint injection with Enercel
significantly improved neurological conditions in patients with ALS. However,
continuous treatment may be necessary to maintain the improvement.
Reference:
Liang S et al., Significant neurological
improvement in two patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis after 4 weeks of
treatment with acupuncture injection point therapy using enercel. J Acupunct
Meridian Stud. 2011 Dec;4(4):257-61. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22196509
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