Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
www.pharmpress.com/fact
Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2006; 11: 25–6
The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of electrical acupuncture combined bee venom in controlling low back pain (LBP).
Thirteen LBP patients (eight men, five women; age 41.30 ± 17.27) were diagnosed by CT or MRI and diseases such as spinal tumour, infection and fracture were excluded. They were treated by electrical acupuncture combined bee venom therapy two or three times a week in Wonkwang University Hospital, and pain intensity with VAS and functioning with Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire(RDQ) was measured at the baseline (B), and 4 weeks after treatment. The data were analysed with Wilcoxon signed ranks test and the level set for statistical significance was P < 0.05.
The pain was significantly reduced by two treatments (P = 0.002; B 7.69 ± 2.06, 4 WKs 4.70 ± 2.72). The function was also significantly improved by both treatments (P = 0.001; B 12.15 ± 6.85, 4 WKs 6.85 ± 5.14).
The results suggest that a combination of acupuncture and bee venom therapy may be beneficial for LBP. In future, RCTs including follow-up are needed to examine the effects of this therapy.
No funding was received in support of this research.
