A recent study of Fibromyalgia patients showed that those who underwent acupuncture had less chronic pain and were alleviated of most of their regular symptoms. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome similar to arthritis in its pain level but different in the fact it does not cause inflammation or damage to he joints. It is extremely difficult to diagnose and its other symptoms may include tenderness of the muscles, fatigue and sensitivity of the 18 specific pressure points in the body. The study involved 50 randomly assigned patients, half of which were assigned to real acupuncture treatment while the other half were assigned to a “fake” acupuncturist. At the end of one month those who had partaken in the true acupuncture treatment had shown definite improvement in relation to lessening their symptoms while those in the “fake” group remained for the most part the same. The patients who improved noticed considerably less problematic symptoms and a dramatic decrease in their overall level of pain.  (Johns Hopkins Health Alerts, 08/04/08)