Acupuncture: gaining acceptance in urology

! some countries, dapoxetine is available for on-demand treatment of PE. A recent randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial in Turkey compared the effectiveness of paroxetine vs acupuncture in 90 patients with PE. Those in the medication group received paroxetine 20 mg/day. Men in the acupuncture group received treatments twice a week for 4 weeks. There was also a sham acupunctureplacebo group. Each group included 30 men. Those receiving acupuncture had needles inserted in various points located on the hands, feet, legs, head, and pelvic region. Although it did not have as strong of an effect as paroxetine, acupuncture did exhibit a signifi cant ejaculation-delaying effect. The median PE Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) scores of paroxetine were 17.0 before treatment and 10.5 after treatment. In the case of acupuncture, these scores were 16.0 before treatment and 11.0 Something that has been around for over 2,500 years must have proven its mettle some time ago. Acupuncture, a component of traditional Chinese medicine, is a mainstay of healthcare in China. Now gaining acceptance in Western society, it is one of the more rigorously studied ‘alternative’ or ‘complementary’ therapies. Acupuncture is based on the premise that energy, called Qi (pronounced ‘chee’), needs to fl ow uninterrupted throughout the body to maintain health. Energy imbalances can be corrected by inserting fi ne needles at various points on the body. Although widely used to treat various conditions from back pain to addictions, it is now being used in the urological community as an effective treatment for erectile problems, LUTS and chronic prostatitis.