Acupuncture for dry mouth

Acupuncture helps relieve severe dry mouth, protecting people from the dental decay, speaking problems and oral ulcers that can accompany the condition. Researchers from the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore explained that acupuncture could relieve dry mouth in several ways. For instance, the technique could increase blood flow to the salivary glands, improve how they function, or boost levels of chemicals in the body that help with saliva. Approximately one-quarter of people do not produce enough saliva, or any saliva at all, a condition known formally as xerostomia. Among adults over 50, nearly 40 percent have xerostomia, which can also cause oral infections, alterations in the sense of taste, and problems speaking, eating and swallowing. The researchers followed 7 people with xerostomia after head and neck radiation therapy, who received acupuncture once per week for up to 5 weeks, then additional biweekly sessions, for a total of 8 sessions, on average. The patients said that saliva flow improved during the first treatment and improvements lasted longer with each additional treatment. Eight months after treatment, people reported decreases in their symptoms, less need to awaken to drink water at night, an easier time eating a range of foods, and less difficulty eating, swallowing and speaking. Many cases of dry mouth result from head and neck radiation and some autoimmune diseases, both of which can affect the salivary glands. In rare cases, people may develop some side effects of acupuncture. However, conventional treatments for xerostomia are not without problems. One treatment, pilocarpine, is associated with a number of side effects, including sweating, dizziness, nausea, and visual problems, he noted. Another treatment called amifostine, which people take during radiation therapy to protect the salivary glands, causes severe nausea.