Acupuncture can give new hope to people suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy, researchers say.
Baptist University has found that acupuncture in traditional Chinese medicine is an excellent alternative to vagus nerve stimulation which, using a pacemaker-like implant, combats refractory epilepsy.
Zhang Hong-qi, an associate professor at the university's school of Chinese medicine, said acupuncture had been used for treating epilepsy in China for about 2,000 years, but its effectiveness had never been proved scientifically.
About a year ago, he compared the effectiveness of acupuncture with vagus nerve stimulation.
In the latter, a stimulator is placed under the skin on the left side of the chest which affects the vagus nerve in the neck.
The treatment does not usually cure epilepsy, but can reduce the frequency and severity of seizures.
Professor Zhang said vagus nerve stimulation had some disadvantages. This treatment needed an operation, costing about US$10,000, and the battery had to be changed regularly.