Speaking of hospitals... nerve pain caused by diabetes can be severe, constant, and hard to treat.
Luckily, a recent study shows treatments using electro-acupuncture could help reduce them.
Park Se-young has more.
Around ten to fifteen percent of Korean adults suffer from diabetes, and peripheral neuropathy is the most common complication.
High blood sugar damages the structure and function of nerve tissues, leading to pain and difficulty sleeping.
Now, the Korean Institute of Oriental Medicine has found through clinical research that electro-acupuncture treatment effectively reduces pain and helps patients sleep better.


"Patients that received the treatment for 8 weeks displayed twice the pain reducing effects as the control group."

The test involved 126 patients with type 2 diabetes and a history of at least six months of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
The patients were randomly assigned to a group receiving twice-weekly acupuncture treatments or to a control group.
Electro-acupuncture offers a safe, effective way to treat the persistent pain, without the use of medication.
The study was published in the journal Diabetes Care.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.