Alternative treatments for diabetes: can acupuncture lower your blood sugar?

There was a time when doctors were openly hostile to alternative approaches to medicine. That's changing, because doctors have seen for themselves that natural approaches sometimes work. But can you really bring down blood sugar by having your skin poked with thin needles?

Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) say yes — but for reasons well outside the realm of Western medicine.

• According to the philosophy of TCM, diseases come from imbalances in the flow of life energy, which courses through the body along invisible pathways called meridians. Acupuncture, which involves inserting needles at specific points in the meridian system, is said to bring this energy into balance and improve health.
• Different points are associated with specific physical functions. Stimulating the pancreas "acupoint," for example, may increase insulin secretion, while probing the bladder acupoint may help curb frequent urination.

Western doctors used to dismiss acupuncture wholesale. It just didn't make sense, especially when the meridian system didn't appear to be related to any obvious part of the anatomy. Nowadays, however, some insurance plans cover acupuncture for certain conditions related to diabetes, and it's not unusual to find medical doctors who are also trained acupuncturists.

• The change is due in part to rigorous studies in the West that have found that acupuncture can be effective for relieving pain, making it especially promising for people who have neuropathy.
• In one recent study, for example, 77 percent of people with neuropathic pain improved significantly after receiving acupuncture — and 67 percent were able to stop taking pain medication.
• Some said their symptoms cleared up completely, and most never had to go back for more treatment.
• How does acupuncture achieve such results? It's been shown that acupoints have denser-than-usual concentrations of nerves, and stimulating them appears to make the brain release natural painkillers.

Whether acupuncture can lower blood sugar is less certain.

• Most of the research showing an effect has been done in China, where studies don't always match Western scientific standards.
• But one review of several Chinese studies found that acupuncture consistently lowered blood sugar in people with diabetes by about 50 percent.
• In one of the more dramatic of these studies, average blood sugar dropped from 21 mmol/l (378 mg/dl) to 6.5 mmol/l (117 mg/dl) after acupuncture treatments.

Don't expect dramatic blood sugar results.

• Medical societies, such as the World Health Organization, recommend acupuncture for a wide variety of problems, but type 2 diabetes doesn't appear on their hit lists.
• Neuropathy does, however. Just be sure to tell your practitioner if you have neuropathy or poor circulation; the therapist will want to be extra cautious when needling the slow-healing skin of your lower legs and feet.

• Typically, you'll feel a prick, a tingling sensation or a dull ache when needles first go in, but the feeling quickly goes away.
• Treatment usually involves inserting needles in four to 12 acupoints and leaving them there for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Once the needles are in place, practitioners often twist or manipulate them by hand to regulate the flow of energy in the body, which produces a dull ache that can be uncomfortable but is thought to be important for releasing chemicals into the nervous system.
• Needles may also be heated or charged with low-level electrical current.
• You can expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $150 per treatment, which can add up.
• In studies, therapy for diabetes typically takes multiple sessions.

Consider this guide and talk to your doctor before deciding if acupuncture is the right treatment for you. To find a listing of practitioners, look for local acupuncturists online.