Acupuncture, Exercise Spell Relief for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Reported June 30, 2009

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study shows exercise and electro-acupuncture treatment can reduce sympathetic nerve activity in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

The study published by The American Physiological Society also found the electro-acupuncture treatments led to more regular menstrual cycles, reduced testosterone levels and reduced waist circumference.

Researchers looked at looked at whether acupuncture or exercise could decrease the sympathetic nerve activity in women with PCOS. Twenty women were divided into three groups; low-frequency electro-acupuncture, exercise and untreated controls. The acupuncture group underwent 14 treatments during the 16-week study. Acupunctured points located in the abdominal muscles and back of the knee were stimulated with a low-frequency charge, enough for muscle contraction. The exercise group took up regular aerobic exercises that were faster than walking three days a week for 30-45 minutes, while maintaining a pulse frequency about 120 beats per minute. The control group was not specifically designed to do anything differently.

Following the 16-week study, both the acupuncture and exercise groups significantly decreased muscle sympathetic nerve activity, while the acupuncture group saw a drop in waist size. The acupuncture group experienced fewer menstrual irregularities and a significant drop in testosterone, while the exercise group saw neither. Exercise had no effect on the irregular or non-existent menstrual cycles that are common among women with PCOS, nor did it reduce waist circumference. However, exercise did lead to reductions in weight and body mass index. These findings are important because women with PCOS often have elevated sympathetic nerve activity, which plays a role in hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

"The findings that low-frequency electro-acupuncture and exercise decrease sympathetic nerve activity in women with PCOS indicated a possible alternative non-pharmacologic approach to reduce cardiovascular risk in their patients," Dr. Elisabeth Stener-Victorin of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden was quoted saying. "This is the first study to demonstrate that repeated low-frequency electro-acupuncture and physical exercise can reduce high sympathetic nerve activity seen in women with PCOS."

SOURCE: American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, June 2009