I have been mulling over my last blog post and would like to make it clear that I would never advise a patient to make any change to their medication without consulting their doctor first.

The purpose of the article was to point out the issues associated with painkillers where a patient has choices to make over whether and when to take them.

However, in addition to the issue of reducing a patient’s intake of painkillers, there are other times when acupuncture treatment supported by lifestyle changes can enable patients to reduce their need for medication.

Significant reduction to hypertension can result from acupuncture. This can be augmented by reduction in salt intake and taking garlic as a supplement. Weight loss and increased exercise if appropriate can also help.

Acupuncture treatment can also be used to support weight loss that can significantly improve cases of Type II diabetes.