A Korean pilot study suggests that acupuncture can help with symptom management in patients undergoing haemodialysis. Twenty-four patients received individualised acupuncture treatment for their symptoms twice a week for six consecutive weeks. Patients experienced a significant improvement of symptoms they considered most bothersome, reporting a decrease of 1.87 and 2.08 points on a 0-6 symptom scale at 7 weeks and 11 weeks, respectively. Disease-related symptom scores showed significant improvement at 7 weeks (effects of kidney disease, burden of kidney disease, role-limitations physical, emotional well-being, and energy/fatigue) and 11 weeks (physical functioning and energy/fatigue). (Acupuncture for symptom management in hemodialysis patients: a prospective, observational pilot study. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Aug;17(8):741-8)
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