CHICAGO (Reuters) – Acupuncture brought more relief to people with back pain than standard treatments, whether it was done with a toothpick or a real needle, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a study that raises new questions about how acupuncture works.

For many patients, that benefit lasted for a year, the team reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

“Our study shows that you don’t need to stick needles into people to get the same effect,” said Dr. Daniel Cherkin of Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, who led the study.

“Historically, some types of acupuncture have used non-penetrating needles. Such treatments may involve physiological effects that make a clinical difference,” Karen Sherman of Group Health, who worked on the study, said in a statement.

The team, wanted to study the effects of different types of acupuncture in a large, carefully controlled study of 638 patients with chronic low back pain.

They divided patients into several groups. One got seven weeks of standardized acupuncture treatment known to be effective in back pain. Another group got an individually prescribed acupuncture treatment.

A third group was treated using a toothpick in a needle guide tube that did not pierce the skin as regular acupuncture does, but targeting the correct acupuncture “points”.

A fourth group just got standard medical treatment, which included medication and physical therapy.

After eight weeks, 60 percent of the patients who got any type of acupuncture reported significant improvement in their ability to function compared with those who got standard medical care alone.

But there was no significant difference in the pain relief people got from the acupuncture using needles or from toothpicks.

The researchers said there is some evidence that even needles were used 2,000 years ago in acupuncture treatment, and some imaging studies have shown that “superficial and deep needling of an acupuncture point elicited similar blood oxygen level-dependent responses,” the team wrote.

Another study even found that lightly touching the skin can induce some emotional and hormonal reactions, which could explain the benefit, they wrote.

Or, it may simply be the experience of visiting an acupuncturist for treatments that helps.

Regardless of how it worked, they said acupuncture appears to be a relatively safe and painless way of easing an aching back, especially when traditional medicine alone fails.

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Maggie Fox and Cynthia Osterman)

Not every woman has menstrual pain, but it is a normal part of how the body works.

To help relieve menstrual cramps:

• Apply heat to your abdomen with a heating pad or hot water bottle, or take a warm bath. You might find that heat relieves the pain as well as medicine does.
• Lie down and elevate your legs by putting a pillow under your knees.
• Lie on your side and bring your knees up to your chest. This will help relieve back pressure.
• Try sexual activity. This may relieve pelvic cramping and backache.
• Try using sanitary napkins instead of tampons.
• Get regular exercise. You might find that it helps relieve pain.

Over-the-counter medicine usually relieves menstrual pain.

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil), help relieve menstrual cramps and pain.
• Start taking the recommended dose of pain reliever when discomfort begins or 1 day before your menstrual period starts.
• Take the medicine for as long as the symptoms would normally last if you did not take the medicine.
• If an NSAID does not relieve the pain, try acetaminophen, such as Tylenol or Panadol.

Be sure to follow all labels and instructions. If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, talk to your health professional before using any medicine. Do not take aspirin if you are younger than 20 because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome.

Prescription medicine is a good choice if over-the-counter medicine does not bring you relief. Birth control hormones help relieve menstrual pain and lighten bleeding for most women. They also prevent pregnancy. Talk to your health professional about trying the birth control pill, patch, or ring. With most types of hormone birth control, you take the hormones every day for 3 weeks, then take a week off. This is when you might get a menstrual period. There are some types of pill that you can take over 3 months, or even every day of the year. With these, you might have unexpected spotting or bleeding, especially during the first year.