Acupuncture effectively improves symptoms in chronic prostatitis patients: Study

Compared with the sham acupuncture group, larger proportions of participants in the acupuncture group reported marked or moderate improvements in symptoms at all assessment points.
China: A recent study showed 20 sessions of acupuncture over 8 weeks to be more effective for improving symptoms in patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) compared to sham therapy. The durable effects of acupuncture lasted for 24 weeks after the treatment. The study appears in Annals of Internal Medicine.
CP/CPPS manifests discomfort or pain in the pelvic region for at least 3 of the previous 6 months without evidence of infection. Lower urinary tract symptoms, psychological issues, and sexual dysfunction may also be involved. Men with CP/CPPS may have a poor quality of life due to the many neuropsychophysiologic pathophysiology factors associated with the disorder, such as inflammation in the prostate, anxiety, and stress, and dyssynergic voiding. Antibiotics, a-blockers, and anti-inflammatories are the mainstays of treatment in clinical practice, but they have limited effectiveness and are associated with adverse events with long-term use. Acupuncture has shown promise as an alternative treatment, but high-quality evidence is scarce.
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