Facial pain - acupuncture shown to be effective

Facial pain is a frequently encountered condition causing great distress to the sufferer. A recently published U.S. study analysed 168 participants with temperomandibular disorders. Participants were all given self-care education. After two weeks and ten weeks, patients were allocated to a traditional Chinese Medicine ( TCM) group or continued self-care alone.

Those in the TCM group were given 20 weeks of acupuncture within a one year period. The treatment was individualised, although it included a core set of points. Other points, specific to each patient, were added, depending on the specific symptoms and other complaints experienced by the patient.

The TCM group was compared with a group only given self-care education. TCM was found to provide significantly greater pain relief, and greater reduction in the degree to which pain interfered with social activities, than self-education alone. You can look at the research here

You can see what conditions acupuncture can treat on my Acupuncture in Bristol and Shaftesbury website