Diabetes, May, 2000, by Lawrence C. NWabudike, Constanin Ionesco-Tirgoviste
Acupuncture is a well-known treatment for pain and for neurological disorders in general. It has been applied successfully by others in symptomatic peripheral diabetic neuropathy as well as hypertension and it has proven itself efficacious in the lowering of blood glucose in experimental animals. In this study, we attempted to determine the effects of applying acupuncture on the vibration perception thresholds (VPT) of diabetic patients suffering from peripheral diabetic neuropathy.
The study group comprised 25 patients (14M/11F) presenting consecutively at our diabetes foot and skin care outpatients clinic, age range 54-72 yrs. all type 2 with duration of diabetes from 0 (newly discovered) to 22yrs. Each received at least 12 sessions (one cycle) of acupuncture treatment according to need and VPT was measured before and after each cycle of treatment. VPT was measured using a biothesiometer (Newbury, Ohio)
The average VPT before and after the FIRST cycle of treatment recorded in these patients are: 27.0 before and 21.0 after treatment, a decrease of 22.2%. A full list of patients and VPT before and after treatment shall be presented.
In conclusion, acupuncture can affect vibration perception thresholds. The mechanism is unclear but may be related to increased circulation generally associated with acupuncture and hence the normalisation of neural blood flow.