Research from Taipei Medical University in Taiwan shows that auricular (ear) acupuncture can improve dry mouth symptoms in older adults. A total of 75 such adults were randomised to receive eight weeks of either true ear acupuncture or sham ear acupuncture. After eight weeks of treatment, the true acupuncture group reported significantly improved dry mouth, ease of speaking, swallowing, amount of saliva, dry throat and thirst, compared with the control group. They also demonstrated higher objective saliva flow than the control group.
(Efficacy of auricular acupuncture in improving dry mouth among an institutionalised older population: A randomised controlled study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 3 February 2023.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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