I feel the need to remind everyone that I am not a medical professional and would never suggest any changes in treatment, I am only sharing our journey with PD and the things we encounter. Regarding acupuncture, I found a 2021 study that stated, “particularly during the early stages, acupuncture may reduce neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons and regulate the balance of the dopaminergic circuit, thus delaying the progression of the disease.” (Zhao Y, Zhang Z, Qin S, Fan W, Li W, Liu J, Wang S, Xu Z, Zhao M. Acupuncture for Parkinson’s Disease: Efficacy Evaluation and Mechanisms in the Dopaminergic Neural Circuit. Neural Plast. 2021 Jun 15;2021:9926445. doi: 10.1155/2021/9926445. PMID: 34221005; PMCID: PMC8221898.)

What a mouthful of big words but the bottom line is that acupuncture may actually slow down the progression of PD if used early enough. That is huge because we have always been told that the only thing that can slow progression is exercise. Unfortunately it may not do anything for my husband’s PD symptoms as he is in the mid to later-stages of his illness, but is it safe for him to use and will it help alleviate his pain? Great question as we are still working to gather information.

As always, my husband is hesitant to try anything different. I brought the topic of acupuncture up at his recent annual exam with his Primary Care Physician. She felt it could be beneficial, especially with his history of failed interventions through physical therapy. I emailed his neurologist to ask her opinion and to make sure it was a safe option for him considering he has DBS probes in his brain and she said it would be fine as long as they didn’t use electrical stimulation which could interfere with the controller implanted in his chest. I am reaching out to people in our community for recommendations for acupuncturists. I am practicing patience with my husband as he considers this alternative treatment.

For more about the potential benefits of acupuncture in People with Parkinson’s check out this review of studies I found on the National Institute of Health website Acupuncture for Parkinson’s Disease: Efficacy Evaluation and Mechanisms in the Dopaminergic Neural Circuit – PubMed (nih.gov).  To learn more about acupuncture as a procedure check here Acupuncture – Mayo Clinic.