Can this ancient remedy stop dementia in its tracks?
Imagine being able to slow dementia and Alzheimer’s to a crawl — or prevent them completely.
For decades Big Pharma has been hunting for some new wonder drug to keep these frightening diseases in check.
But it looks like the answer may come from one of the oldest treatments around.
A breakthrough new study has proven that acupuncture — that ancient treatment used to relieve everything from pain to depression — may help protect your brain from the ravages of memory loss.
And if you have a loved one in the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s, this may be the most important research you’ve read in a while.
Before President Nixon’s 1971 trip to China, few Americans took acupuncture very seriously — that is, if they even knew about it at all.
But a well-known journalist, James Reston, suffered an attack of appendicitis while there and needed emergency surgery. Treated afterwards with acupuncture, Reston wrote an article in the
New York Times about this amazing drug-free method of pain relief the Chinese doctors used on him.
Now, 45 years later, it seems we’re still “discovering” what acupuncture can do to help us.
In this latest study, researchers took a careful look at previously published trial data from both China and Western countries focusing on patients suffering from an early form of dementia called mild cognitive impairment. Some were given a drug called nimodipine, used to treat a type of dementia, and some had acupuncture.
Well, acupuncture absolutely ran circles around the prescription drug.
Those who were treated with acupuncture scored substantially better on mental function tests used by doctors to rate dementia. It was as if the disease wasn’t progressing as quickly.
These results, the authors said, show acupuncture “has a significant positive effect” on memory and cognitive function.
Now, successfully treating people who are just starting to show signs of dementia has been the holy grail of Alzheimer’s research for some time. Eli Lilly has poured a small fortune into a drug called solanezumab, and is currently running a trial with patients suffering from very mild, or early forms of the disease.
And believe me, if that med had shown a fraction of the benefit that acupuncture already has, we’d be seeing banner headlines about how an Alzheimer’s cure has been found.
But with acupuncture we have a legitimate, safe and very promising treatment that isn’t getting the attention it deserves.
While some insurance plans include acupuncture, unfortunately Original Medicare does not (although if you have a Medicare Advantage plan, it may be covered).
The good news, however, is that acupuncture is relatively easy to find these days, and is considerably more affordable than most mainstream procedures.
And acupuncture’s track record as an effective treatment looks like its growing by leaps and bounds.
Current research has also found that acupuncture can stop high blood pressure in its tracks, and that ongoing treatments can lower your risk of heart disease, stroke and heart failure.
Other studies have shown this ancient remedy can work wonders in helping to ease the suffering of fibromyalgia patients. And along with a drop in pain, those given acupuncture reported lower levels of anxiety, depression and fatigue.
Even if the sight of a needle make you squeamish, don’t write off trying acupuncture. The needles are very fine, generally painless and only inserted a tiny bit into your body to stimulate key nerve points.
Sources:
“Pre-dementia memory loss improved with acupuncture” August, 5, 2016, MNT, medicalnewstoday.com
