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Acupuncture May Ease Overactive Bladder

Study Shows Short-Term Improvements Similar to Effects of Drugs or Behavioral Therapy

By Miranda Hitti

July 13, 2005 -- Acupuncture may help women deal with overactive bladders, doctors report in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

They studied 85 women with overactive bladder and urge incontinence -- the involuntary loss of urine following a strong urge to urinate.

The women who got acupuncture for overactive bladder improved in four areas: incontinence episodes, voiding frequency, urinary urgency, and bladder capacity.

The results are reported by Sandra Emmons, MD, and Lesley Otto, MD. They work in the obstetrics and gynecology department of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore.

Common Problem

Seventeen percent of U.S. men and women have overactive bladder syndrome. About half of the affected women also have incontinence, write Emmons and Otto. The condition results from spastic contractions of the muscles surrounding the bladder; the pressure on the bladder causes the need to urinate.

Medication and therapy (behavioral and physical) can help. But it doesn't always solve the problem, the researchers write.

They tested acupuncture as a possible treatment, based on several other promising studies.

Acupuncture has been part of traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years. Its potential effects on various conditions have been studied by Western researchers.

About the Study

A total of 74 women completed the study. They were in their early 50s, on average.

The group included 37 women who had undergone a hysterectomy and 14 who had undergone incontinence surgery.

About half of the women got acupuncture treatment for overactive bladder. The others got acupuncture designed for relaxation, not overactive bladder treatment.

The women didn't know which group they were in. They kept diaries of their symptoms for three days before and after the study.

Improvements Reported

How helpful was acupuncture for overactive bladder?

The effect was "similar in scope to the improvement offered by drug therapy or behavioral therapy," write the researchers.

They call for larger, longer studies to confirm the finding.

The study didn't compare acupuncture to other treatments or check long-term results.

No problems were reported from the treatments.

Incontinence Benefit With 'Relaxation' Acupuncture

The women in the comparison group also had less incontinence after their treatment.

"The acupuncture sessions designed to promote relaxation also produced a significant decrease in incontinence episodes," write the researchers.

"But the patients in this group saw no difference in the other important symptoms of overactive bladder," they continue.

Researchers' Views

"Many in our hectic society would prefer a once-a-day pill with no additional effort required," write Emmons and Otto.

"Acupuncture perhaps can offer a middle ground for the appropriate patient who prefers not to take a daily medication but is unable to commit to the active involvement in behavioral therapy," they continue.

They note another study showing benefits from combining behavioral therapy with medication for the condition.

"Quite possibly, combining acupuncture with medication or behavioral therapy would also promote long-term success," the researchers write.