Acupuncture treatment improves immediate and short-term auditory/verbal memory, attention and processing speed, and reduces fatigue, sleep latency, and psychiatric symptoms in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
In the research methodology, a randomised controlled trial was conducted involving 62 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, who were divided evenly into an acupuncture group and a control group. The acupuncture group received traditional Chinese acupuncture treatments, geared towards calming the mind and reinforcing qi and blood, while the control group received sham acupuncture in the form of shallow needling at non-acupuncture points. Both groups were treated twice weekly for a 12 week period.
In discussion of the results, the primary outcome measured was the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) score evaluated at the beginning and end of the 12 week treatment by a psychologist. Secondary outcomes considered symptom checklist results, sleep quality and fatigue severity scores. It was found that the acupuncture group showed significant improvement in cognitive aspects, reduced fatigue, improved sleep quality and less severity of psychiatric symptoms. No serious harmful events were reported during the study.
