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  • Can Acupuncture Help With Dry Mouth?

    Dry mouth is an issue that almost any person can face at any time in their lives. However, it is most common to occur in adults who are over the age of 50. It is even more prevalent in people who are suffering from cancer. The main cause of this in cancer patients is a reaction to the medications or treatments that are taken in order to relieve the issues of cancer. However, the treatments for dry mouth that are out there are many that people will use in order to alleviate the problem of mot being able to produce saliva.

    There are of course the common treatments for dry mouth that many use and those are with lozenges or chewing gum. These simple quick fixes can be effective and will provide some relief and stimulation to the salivary glands.  However, they are only temporary. One concept that seems to be gaining ground and being used as a way to improve and relieve dry mouth is to use acupuncture.

    There has been research conducted to see if this is in fact a reliable and effective method to relieving the problems associated with dry mouth and there have been surprising results. The use of acupuncture has been discussed for nearly two decades in the US.  However, there have not been any major tests conducted. In Sweden, there have been studies conducted, one of which had the following results:

    • There were 70 patients to receive the acupuncture treatments
    • Significant improvement was discovered within the first six months
    • Treatments were discovered to be effective for up to three years if treatments continued

    In different studies there have been promising results found that would say using acupuncture as one of the treatments for dry mouth would show that there was good reason to believe that this would in fact be beneficial to those who sought the treatment. It has been found that acupuncture would in fact increase both the stimulated and un-stimulated production of saliva in the body. With this happening, it showed that acupuncture is in fact one of the legitimate treatments for dry mouth.

    By being able to use acupuncture as a way to treat the problem and all of the symptoms that come with it, it grows as well in its ability to improve the lives of cancer patients who are suffering from this. Yes, acupuncture is a good way to be able to fight dry mouth and has in fact shown improved results for those who use it.

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