Acupuncture in the treatment of fibromyalgia

Introduction: Fibromyalgia is an idiopathic, non-inflammatory syndrome that manifests itself mainly in the musculoskeletal system through chronic widespread pain, often associated with other symptoms such as fatigue, non-restorative sleep and mood disorders. Among the treatments available and frequently used for this disease is acupuncture, as it treats several painful conditions, with good tolerance and low risk of adverse effects. Acupuncture is part of a set of theoretical-empirical knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which aims to balance the body by stimulating energy accumulation points along body lines known as acupuncture meridians, in the classical view. Acupuncture contributes to the systemic energy balance, promoting the stimulation of the body's self-healing strength, in addition to producing neurobiological responses such as the release of endorphins, serotonin by the nervous system. Studies suggest that this effect is due to the activation of cortical regions related to analgesia, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the anterior singular cortex. Objective: based on this premise, the general objective of this study is to carry out a systematic review to corroborate the effectiveness and distinguish the effects of acupuncture as a form of treatment for pain relief and improvement of the quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia. Materials and methods: this work consists of a scientific literary review, where among the articles studied, 66 works were selected so far. For the selection of articles, a temporal filter of the last three years (2021, 2022 and 2023) and a language filter, English and Portuguese, were used in a virtual environment in the research libraries PubMed and Google Scholar. The studies were chosen according to the following inclusion criteria: primary studies that addressed the central theme of this work in the format of national and international scientific articles. The following were excluded: opinion articles, experience reports and research not yet concluded. Results (preliminary): the studied authors agree that acupuncture is effective in significantly reducing pain intensity in patients with fibromyalgia, in order to restore the patient's functional capacity, commonly compromised by painful processes. Conclusions: So far, our investigation points out that Acupuncture is a promising treatment for the reduction of fibromyalgia symptoms, especially analgesia.