Non-pharmacological traditional Chinese medicine combined with conventional therapy significantly reduces pain and improves the health status in fibromyalgia patients.
For this systematic review, researchers examined studies from five different electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science until August 2022. The focus of these studies was to assess the effects of a combination of non-pharmacological traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) techniques and conventional therapies on fibromyalgia patients. Specifically, the studies looked at impact on pain intensity, overall health status, levels of depression, and quality of life. This included four randomized controlled trials involving a total of 384 fibromyalgia patients.
In the combined therapy group, they noticed significantly positive effects on reducing pain following the treatment when compared to those undergoing only conventional treatment. This applied both in the immediate aftermath of the intervention and in long-term follow-ups twelve months later. While these benefits were not observed in depression levels or pain-related quality of life metrics, the combination treatment did show a greater reduction in the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire score. Despite the observed benefits, the researchers indicated some worries about safety and clinical application.
