Accupuncture Treatment

A few people (2) on a different site claim that accupuncture has helped them reduce the frequency of their afib episodes with another one claiming that his accupuncturist has told him that he/she can restore regular rhythm if one is in the middle of an episode.

Your opinion on accupuncture as a treatment and more importantly, are you aware of any downsides or risks associated with using accupuncture to treat afib?

Thank you,

Kathy

[Cleveland Clinic]

Kathy,

Thanks for the post.  

You might be suprised to know that an more money is spent on alternative medicine treatments than on traditional medicines in the US. Unfortunatley, alternative medical options are not  tightly regulated so there are alot of good and bad claims out there.

Im not aware of any evidence to support that accupuncture should be effective for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and would not endorse this treatment to my patients.  Usually, as long as a treatment doesnt have harm or interfere with proven therapies, I usually wont discurage the use.

There are non proven benefits to alot of alternative medicines and treatments, but remember there may also be unproven harms.

[dquenzer]

My sister tried it and it didn't work.

I wrote a research paper on acupuncture.  I believe it does have some validity in some uses.  I know first hand of a case where an athlete had a very sprained ankle, went to an acupuncturist, and it helped immensely.  But I also know that acupuncture is based upon some very wierd philosophy and not science.  I think they accidently get some things scientifically right, but go beyond what is valid.

I go to a chiropractor at times.  I know from experience that they can help with certain kinds of injuries.  But if a chiropractor said he could cure my afib, I think he would be out to lunch.  Yet there are some chiropractors who make wild claims.

All treatments have limitations.  Believe me if acupuncturists could cure afib, every afiber would be pounding at the door!  I know I would have been!  My cure of afib came at great expense to me through the use of an ablation.

[jpin]

I went to two different acupuncturists, one a MD the other a DO, for severe back pain.  They definitely helped with the pain but neither of them made claims to curing afib.  One did say it might lessen the symptoms but it didn't.

[dwicker]

surely, if you're on warfarin, you can't have accupuncture.

[Dan_Schroeder]

A related discussion, A-Fib Causes was started.