New Research Finds That Acupuncture May Help Ward Off Diabetes
A new study from has found that acupuncture therapy may be a useful tool in people with prediabetes.
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of illnesses — and now it could also help fight one of the 21st century’s biggest health challenges.
New research from Edith Cowan University has found acupuncture therapy may be a useful tool in avoiding type 2 diabetes.
The team of scientists investigated dozens of studies covering the effects of acupuncture on more than 3600 people with prediabetes. This is a condition marked by higher-than-normal blood glucose levels without being high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
According to the findings, acupuncture therapy significantly improved key markers, such as fasting plasma glucose, two-hour plasma glucose, and glycated hemoglobin. Additionally, acupuncture therapy resulted in a greater decline in the incidence of prediabetes.
Though diabetes is often associated with lifestyle factors, other aspects of life may also have an impact — which is where acupuncture comes in.
“It’s not only about blood sugar levels,”PhD candidate and lead researcher Ms. Min Zhang said.
“If you experience sleep problems, high blood pressure, a lot of stress, these can contribute too. So, acupuncture can help with these factors and work holistically to help people balance their life.”
Ms. Zhang said it’s important to note acupuncture therapy is more than just using needles — it refers to a big family of acupoint stimulation techniques, such as light and electric pulses, and includes other traditional Chinese medicine therapies such as moxibustion.
“This is important because diabetic people can have issues with their skin, so perhaps it may not always be ideal to be using needles,” she said.
“We need to do more research into acupuncture and diabetes, because we need to find more ways to prevent prediabetes from developing into type 2 diabetes.
“Many people with prediabetes don’t have any symptoms and feel fine, but some people progress into the diabetes period no more than 6 months after their prediabetes diagnosis.
