A eficácia da acupuntura no alívio da dor: análise do seu uso como terapia complementar no tratamento da dor crônica.

Abstract

This study analyzes the current literature on the effectiveness of acupuncture in the complementary treatment of chronic pain. This is a traditional Chinese therapeutic practice that aims to reduce pain by inserting needles into strategic points on the human body that aim to stimulate the release of endorphins, which in turn act as natural painkillers. This therapy can be used alone or in conjunction with other therapeutic resources. The methodological procedures were bibliographical research, with a qualitative approach and of an exploratory and descriptive nature. Data collection was carried out in the following databases: Capes Portal through the Web of Science, Scielo, Google Scholar and Pubmed databases. During the research, it was observed that acupuncture is effective through randomized clinical trials, such as a study with 39 patients carried out in 2023, which showed a reduction in cases of pain and the use of medications such as dipyrone by 76.1%, opioid analgesics by 71.3% and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduction of 93.5%, through statistical analysis techniques. In this way, it was observed that the complementary treatment proposed through acupuncture has scientifically proven effectiveness through the randomized clinical trials analyzed here, more studies of this type and with a greater number of participants should be encouraged, mainly to encourage the use of this practice and provide greater dissemination. of its acceptance by health professionals and patients.