Warm Acupuncture May Relieve Symptoms in People With Fibromyalgia and Cold Sensitivity

A new study found that warm acupuncture may reduce heightened sensitivity to cold, pain and wind, in people with fibromyalgia (FM) and cold sensitivity.1

“Although approximately 85% of fibromyalgia patients exhibit increased sensitivity to cold, no therapy is available for this particular subgroup. This exploratory clinical trial to evaluate the effect of warm acupuncture, a traditional and common used acupuncture therapy, in treating fibromyalgia patients with high cold sensitivity,” lead investigator Y. Li Department of Rheumatology, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, and colleagues wrote.1

Li and colleagues conducted a randomized, single-blinded, cross-over preliminary study that included an 8-week observation period and an 8-week intervention period. The study randomized 38 patients to either warm acupuncture or observation for 8 weeks, then the groups crossed over. The study’s primary outcome was change in Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score for cold sensitivity and secondary outcomes included changes in sensitivity to pain, wind, noise, bright light, and odor assessed by VAS, as well as other measures of common fibromyalgia symptoms.

The investigators found that the VAS for cold sensitivity decreased by 2.31 in the treatment period and by 0.83 in the observation period at week 8 (mean difference, 1.48 [95% CI, 0.28-2.67]; P = .019), the the between-group difference becoming apparent starting in week 4 (mean difference, 1.16 [95% CI, −0.03 to 2.36]; P = .015). The pain VAS score decreased by 1.81 at week 4 and 2.31 at week 8 in the warming acupuncture group and by 0.32 at week 4 (P = .015) and 0.58 at week 8 in the observation period (P = .019).1

Li and colleagues also found better improvements on the VAS score for wind, Tender point count, Polysymptomatic Distress Scale score after 8 weeks in the warm acupuncture group. No differences between groups were seen in VAS score for noise sensitivity/bright light sensitivity/odor sensitivity, FIQR total score, SF-36 score, HAMA score, BDI-II score, or PSQI score. On Patient Global Impression of Change, 7 patients (22.6%) reported a significant improvement, 16 patients (51.6%) reported a moderate improvement, and 8 patients (25.8%) reported a slight improvement.1

There were a few minor adverse events, including a sensation of burning discomfort at the acupuncture points in 6 patients (15.8%). One patient (2.6%) was accidentally burned by a moxibustion stick on the skin with a wound about 1 cm in size, and the wound healed within 2 weeks.

“Taken together, this study explored a novel therapeutic approach for FM and is the first study to adopt warm acupuncture in cold-intolerant patients. It is expected to provide more abundant treatment options for FM patients, especially those who are intolerant to cold,” Li and colleagues concluded.1

Other recent research on improving symptoms of FM found that heat therapy via hot water immersion relieved symptoms and improved quality of life measures in a small pilot study. Investigators found that the participants’ Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) average and worst pain severity scores were significantly reduced post-intervention (P =.013 and P =.035, respectively). Participants also experienced statistically significant reductions (P = .035) in Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ-R) post heat therapy and significant improvements in PROMIS Physical Function 8b questionnaire and in the PROMIS sleep-related impairment (P =.014) and PROMIS sleep-related impairment (SRI) questionnaire (P =.042), with no changes in depression or anxiety. These findings altogether demonstrated significant improvements in overall impact of fibromyalgia symptoms, physical function, and sleep-related impairment.2

REFERENCES

1. Li Y, Wang YD, Li ZH, Wu SY, Long M, Jiao J. Warm acupuncture for fibromyalgia with increased cold sensitivity: a cross-over randomised controlled trial. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2025; 43: 000-000.

2. Chadwick AL, Shi C, McMillan M, Miller J, Hu J, Geiger PC. The impact of a heat therapy intervention on pain and fibromyalgia symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia: a pilot study. Front Pain Res (Lausanne). 2025;6:1526491. Published 2025 Mar 13. doi:10.3389/fpain.2025.1526491