Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 1998; 3: 180
Women with frequently recurrent cystitis may need prophylactic antibacterial treatment, which however may lead to unintended increased bacterial resistance. We evaluated the effect of acupuncture in the prevention of frequently recurrent cystitis in adult women.
A three-armed clinical controlled trial. Patients were randomized to TCM acupuncture treatment, sham acupuncture, or no treatment. The incidence rate of cystitis during the following six months was noted.
A general practice/alternative medisin surgery in Bergen, Norway.
67 adult women with a history of frequently recurrent cystitis.
In the acupuncture group 85% were free of cystitis during the six months observation period compared with 58% of the sham group (p < 0.05), and 36% of the control group (p < 0.01). There were half as many episodes of cystitis per person-half-year in the acupuncture group as in the sham group, and a third as many as in the control group (p < 0.05).
Acupuncture seems a worthwhile alternative in the prevention of frequently recurring cystitis in women.
