Acupuncturists, Clients Swear By the Natural Therapy

If you're on pins and needles from holiday stress, a few strategically placed acupuncture needles could do the trick.

It's better than aspirin for relieving headaches, according to a study published this month.

"I have seen a lot of people come into my office with a lot of skepticism, and they came because someone recommended it -- possibly their doctor," said Jennifer Whiteside, an acupuncturist at Pennsylvania's Allegheny General Hospital. "They are at their wits' end, nothing else helps, and they are willing to try it even though they think it's weird. And it helps them."

A team of researchers at Duke University in North Carolina analyzed more than 30 studies involving 4,000 patients with migraine and tension headaches. In 17 studies comparing acupuncture to pain- relieving medications, 62 percent of the acupuncture patients reported relief compared to 45 percent of people taking medication.

The results were published in Anesthesia and Analgesia, the official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

Acupuncture also can relieve nausea associated with chemotherapy, chronic back and joint pain, allergies and gastrointestinal problems, according to the National Institutes of Health. Local acupuncture patients said becoming a veritable human pincushion at one of the 30 or so acupuncture firms is one of the best things they've done.

Peggy Carpenter, 46, of Churchill, Pa., said she was a skeptic about a year ago before visiting Sydnie Bryant, owner of Wholistic Acupuncture in East Liberty. The treatment helped Carpenter recover from retinal vein blockage in her right eye.

"The retina specialist said, at the time, my prognosis wasn't good. The vision loss would be permanent," Carpenter said. "I went back two months later (after acupuncture), and he said that it had recovered much further and faster than he had expected."

She since has returned to Bryant's office one a month for treatment of migraines and allegeries.