Acupuncture Is An Evidence-Based Medicine

“In patients with acute pain presenting to the ED, acupuncture was associated with more effective and faster analgesia with better tolerance.”

Grissa MH, Baccouche H, Boubaker H, et al. Acupuncture vs Intravenous Morphine in the Management of Acute Pain in the ED. Am J Emerg Med. 2016 Nov;34(11):2112-2116

“Active acupuncture showed a significantly greater effect on symptoms of allergic rhinitis than either sham acupuncture or no active treatment. The symptoms of allergic rhinitis decreased significantly after treatment in the both acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups. Acupuncture appears to be an effective and safe treatment for allergic rhinitis.”

Choi S M, Park J-E, Li S-S, et al. A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial Testing the Effects of Acupuncture on Allergic Rhinitis. Allergy. 2013 Mar;68(3):365-74

“Four weeks of acupuncture treatment is a safe and effective option for clinical management of Seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) in the Melbourne area for patients' symptom relief and quality of life (QoL) improvement.”

Xue CC, Zhang AL, Zhang CS, et al. Acupuncture for Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2015 Oct;115(4):317-324

“Our findings suggest that acupuncture is effective in the symptomatic treatment of persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR).”

Xue CC, An XD, Cheung TP, et al. Acupuncture for Persistent Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial. Med J Aust. 2007 Sep 17;187(6):337-41.

“Our meta-analysis suggests that that acupuncture could be a safe and valid treatment option for allergic rhinitis (AR) patients.”

Feng SY, Han MM, Fan YP, et al. Acupuncture for the Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Rhinol Allergy. Jan-Feb 2015;29(1):57-62

“The results of this trial suggest that treating patients with allergic rhinitis in routine care with additional acupuncture leads to clinically relevant and persistent benefits. In addition, it seems that physician characteristics play a minor role in the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment, although this idea needs further investigation.”

Brinkhaus B, Witt CM, Jena S, et al. Acupuncture in patients with allergic rhinitis: a pragmatic randomized trial. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2008 Nov;101(5):535-43

“Among postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer and aromatase inhibitor-related arthralgias, true acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture or with waitlist control resulted in a statistically significant reduction in joint pain at 6 weeks, although the observed improvement was of uncertain clinical importance.”

Hershman DL, Unger JM, Greenlee H, et al. Effect of Acupuncture vs Sham Acupuncture or Waitlist Control on Joint Pain Related to Aromatase Inhibitors Among Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2018 Jul 10;320(2):167-176

“In our review, we concluded that acupuncture alone or combined with other treatment modalities is beneficial to the clinical conditions of RA without adverse effects reported and can improve function and quality of life and is worth trying. Several important possible mechanisms were summarized including anti-inflammatory effect, antioxidative effect, and regulation of immune system function.”

Chou PC, Chu HY, et al. Clinical Efficacy of Acupuncture on Rheumatoid Arthritis and Associated Mechanisms: A Systemic Review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Apr 12;2018:8596918.

“Conclusively, the results indicate that Electro-Acupuncture (EA) is a great opportunity to remarkably alleviate the pain and improve the physical function of knee of osteoarthritis (KOA) patients with a low risk of adverse reaction.”

 Chen N, Wang J, et al. Electro-Acupuncture Is Beneficial for Knee Osteoarthritis: The Evidence From Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Am J Chin Med. 2017;45(5):965-985

“Our findings indicate that laser acupuncture can effectively reduce knee pain for patients with KOA at short term when appropriate technical features are applied, but the effect likely fades away during the subsequent follow-up period.”

Chen ZG, Ma CY, et al. Laser Acupuncture for Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 Nov 3;2019:6703828.                    

“The use of acupuncture is associated with significant reductions in pain intensity, improvement in functional mobility and quality of life. While the differences are not as great as shown by other reviews, current evidence supports the use of acupuncture as an alternative for traditional analgesics in patients with osteoarthritis.”

Manyanga T, Froese M, et al. Pain Management With Acupuncture in Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014 Aug 23;14:312.

“Electro-Acupuncture (EA) treatment may delay cartilage degeneration by down-regulating inflammatory factors through NF-κB signaling pathway, which may, in part, explain its clinical efficacy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.”

Wu GW, Chen J, et al. Electroacupuncture Delays Cartilage Degeneration by Modulating Nuclear Factor-κB Signaling Pathway

“Acupuncture appears to be an effective clinical treatment for Whiplash-Associated Disorder (WAD) following a road traffic collision and should be considered by physiotherapists working with such patient groups.”

Stuart S, Armstrong M, et al. Acupuncture for Whiplash-Associated Disorder Following Road Traffic Collision: A Physiotherapy Service Evaluation. Acupunct Med. 2020 Feb 6;964528419899660

“For sports injuries in an austere environment, narcotic pain medications are often unavailable or have limiting side effects like sedation or constipation. Meanwhile, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications are frequently associated with gastrointestinal side effects and acetaminophen liver toxicity. A trained physician can rapidly use certain acupuncture techniques in an austere environment with potentially fewer side effects. Current medical literature notes low to moderate quality evidence for the use of acupuncture in lower back pain and osteoarthritis of the knee. There is emerging evidence for the use of acupuncture in traumatic brain injury. The U.S. military uses acupuncture in deployed settings to treat battlefield injuries with promising results.”

Bell AE, Falconi A. Acupuncture for the Treatment of Sports Injuries in an Austere Environment. Curr Sports Med Rep. Mar-Apr 2016;15(2):111-5.

“Both injection and acupuncture relieved pain, but acupuncture was superior for the immediate and sustained effects, suggesting that it is a useful treatment for low back pain.”

Inoue M, Hojo T, Nakajima M, et al. Comparison of the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment and local anesthetic injection for low back pain: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Acupuncture Med. 2009 Dec;27(4):174-7

“Acupuncture is an effective, safe adjunctive treatment for chronic LBP in older patients.”

Meng CF, Wang D, Ngeow J, et al. Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older patients: a randomized, controlled trial. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2003: 42(12):1508-17; Açu-Research II

“Acupuncture can be an important supplement of conservative orthopedic treatment in the management of chronic lower back pain.”

Molsberger AF, Mau J, Pawelec DB, et al. Does acupuncture improve the orthopedic management of chronic low back pain - a randomized, blinded, controlled trial with 3 months follow up. Pain 2002: 99:579-587; Açu Research II

“One week of continuous auricular acupuncture decreases the pain and disability experienced by women with pregnancy-related low back and posterior pelvic pain.”

Wang SM, Dezinno P, Lin EC, et al. Auricular acupuncture as a treatment for pregnant women who have low back and posterior pelvic pain: a pilot study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Sep;201(3): 271.e1-9

“Acupuncture relieves low-back and pelvic pain without serious adverse effects in late pregnancy.”

Kvorning N, Holmberg C, Grennert L, et al.  Acupuncture relieves pelvic and low-back pain in late pregnancy. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2004;83(3):246-5

“Systematic reviews of variable quality showed that acupuncture, either used in isolation or as an adjunct to conventional therapy, provides short-term improvements in pain and function for chronic lower back pain.”

Liu L, Skinner M, McDonough S, et al. Acupuncture for low back pain: an overview of systematic reviews. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015; 2015:328196

“Compared with the waiting list group, acupuncture had better therapeutic effects on the social and physical aspects of sequelae of Bell's palsy.”

Kwon HJ, Choi JY, Lee MS, et al.  Acupuncture for the sequelae of Bell's palsy: a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2015 Jun 3; 16:24

“Although there was not enough evidence to prove its safety, acupuncture seems to be an effective therapy for Bell's palsy. Results of the present meta-analysis showed that acupuncture was associated with increased cure rate and total effective rate of the treatment of Bell's palsy in comparison with drugs.”

Zhang R, Wu T, et al. Compare the efficacy of acupuncture with drugs in the treatment of Bell's palsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 May;98(19):e15566.

“Significant reductions in pain, dysfunction, and xerostomia were observed in patients receiving acupuncture versus usual care. Although further study is needed, these data support the potential role of acupuncture in addressing post-neck dissection pain and dysfunction, as well as xerostomia.”

Pfister DG, Cassileth BR, Feng GE, et al. Acupuncture for Pain and Dysfunction After Neck Dissection: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2010 May 20;28(15):2565-70

“Acupuncture was feasible, safe, and a helpful treatment adjunct for cancer patients experiencing uncontrolled pain in this study. Randomized placebo-controlled trials are needed to confirm these results.”

Garcia MK, Driver L, Haddad R, et al. Acupuncture for Treatment of Uncontrolled Pain in Cancer Patients: A Pragmatic Pilot Study. Integr Cancer Ther. 2014 Mar;13(2):133-40

“Chronic pain syndromes associated with cancer treatment are common but difficult to manage. The American Society of Clinical Oncology recently published a practice guideline to address the unmet needs of cancer survivors, Management of Chronic Pain in Survivors of Adult Cancers, which stresses the importance of implementing integrative therapies including acupuncture. This review focuses on randomized clinical trials of acupuncture for chronic pain in cancer survivors, including its use in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, aromatase inhibitor-associated arthralgia, and post neck dissection pain, and provides future directions of oncology acupuncture research in cancer survivorship. The features of oncology acupuncture are also discussed.”

Lu WD, Rosenthal DS. Oncology Acupuncture for Chronic Pain in Cancer Survivors: A Reflection on the American Society of Clinical Oncology Chronic Pain Guideline. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2018 Jun;32(3):519-533

“The result of our systematic review suggested that the effectiveness of acupuncture in palliative care for cancer patients is promising, especially in reducing chemotherapy or radiotherapy induced side effects and cancer pain. Acupuncture may be an appropriate adjunctive treatment for palliative care.”

Lian WL, Pan MQ, Zhou DH, et al. Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Palliative Care in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review. Chin J Integr Med. 2014 Feb;20(2):136-47

“Acupuncture improved cancer-related pain and other symptoms. Those with higher baseline pain scores and advanced disease were more likely to achieve significant pain reduction. Improved depression and fatigue were closely related to pain reduction.”

Miller KR, Patel JN, Symanowski JT, et al. Acupuncture for Cancer Pain and Symptom Management in a Palliative Medicine Clinic. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2019 Apr;36(4):326-332

“All published studies that met our review criteria demonstrate a positive signal for acupuncture for the treatment of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and for improving quality of life with most results showing statistical significance…Published studies in cancer patients and survivors show that acupuncture treatment is not only safe but also more acceptable with fewer side effects than standard of care pharmacological treatments like antidepressants.”

Haddad NE, Palesh O. Acupuncture in the Treatment of Cancer-Related Psychological Symptoms. Integr Cancer Ther. 2014 Sep;13(5):371-85

“Short-term acupuncture treatment may result in long-term improvement in mild-to- moderate idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. Acupuncture treatment can be considered as an alternative therapy to other conservative treatments for those who do not opt for early surgical decompression.

Yang CP1, Wang NH, Li TC, at el.  A randomized clinical trial of acupuncture versus oral steroids for carpal tunnel syndrome: a long-term follow-up. J Pain 2011 Feb;12(2):27

“Acupuncture, a somatosensory conditioning stimulus, shows promise in inducing beneficial cortical plasticity manifested by more focused digital representations”.

Napadow V, Liu J, Li M, at el.  Somatosensory cortical plasticity in carpal tunnel syndrome treated by acupuncture. Hum Brain Mapp 2007 Mar; 28(3):159-7

“We found that acupuncture on treating chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has the advantage for efficacy and safety, but the quality of SRs/MAs of acupuncture for CFS need to be improved.”

Yin ZH, Wang LJ, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Overview of Systematic Reviews. Chin J Integr Med. 2020 Apr 1. doi: 10.1007/s11655-020-3195-3. Online ahead of print.

“Acupuncture provided significantly better relief from knee osteoarthritis pain and a larger improvement in function than sham acupuncture, standard care treatment, or waiting for further treatment.”

Cao L, Zhang XL, Gao YS, et al. Needle acupuncture for osteoarthritis of the knee: A systematic review and updated meta-analysis. Saudi Med J. 2012 May; 33(5):526-32

“Acupuncture that meets criteria for adequate treatment is significantly superior to sham acupuncture and to no additional intervention in improving pain and function in patients with chronic knee pain.”

White A, Foster NE, Cummings M, et al. Acupuncture treatment for chronic knee pain: a systematic review. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2007 Mar; 46(3):384-90

“Rehabilitation therapy combined with electroacupuncture can obviously restrain the pain during rehabilitation process for total knee replacement patients, improve the endurance capacity of rehabilitation training and motivation, and obviously promote the recovery of total knee joint function.”

Chen G, Gu RX, Xu DD. The application of electroacupuncture to postoperative rehabilitation of total knee replacement. Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2012 Apr; 32(4):309-12

“We conclude that manual and electroacupuncture causes a significant improvement in the symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee, either on its own or as an adjunct therapy, with no loss of benefit after one month.”

Tukmachi E, Jubb R, Dempsey E, et al.  The effect of acupuncture on the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis--an open randomised controlled study. Acupunct Med. 2004; 22(1):14-22

“The use of acupuncture is associated with significant reductions in pain intensity, improvement in functional mobility and quality of life. The current evidence supports the use of acupuncture as an alternative for traditional analgesics in patients with osteoarthritis.

Manyanga T1, Froese M, Zarychanski R, et al. Pain management with acupuncture in osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014 Aug 23; 14:312

“Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal, headache, and osteoarthritis pain. Treatment effects of acupuncture persist over time and cannot be explained solely in terms of placebo effects. Referral for a course of acupuncture treatment is a reasonable option for a patient with chronic pain.”

Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, et al.  Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. J Pain. 2018 May;19(5):455-474

“The effects of a course of acupuncture treatment for patients with chronic pain do not seem to decrease importantly over 12 months. Patients can generally be reassured that treatment effects persist.” 

MacPherson H, Vertosick EA, Foster NE, et al. The Persistence of the Effects of Acupuncture After a Course of Treatment: A Meta-Analysis of Patients With Chronic Pain. Pain. 2017 May;158(5):784-793

“Eight weeks of electroacupuncture (EA) increases chronic severe bowel movements (CSBMs) and is safe for the treatment of chronic severe functional constipation (CSFC).”

Liu Z, Yan S, Wu J, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Severe Functional Constipation: A Randomized, Controlled Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2016 Dec 6;165(11):761-769

“Proper acupuncture is an effective method for upper limb spasm in the patient of poststroke, and the therapeutic effect is better for mild-moderate spasm of the upper limb.”

Zhang ZM, Feng CL, et al. Observation on Clinical Therapeutic Effect of Acupuncture on Upper Limb Spasticity in the Patient of Poststroke. Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion 2008 Apr;28(4):257-60

“Early filiform needle acupuncture for poststroke depression can perfectly control depression. Filiform needle acupuncture is safe and reliable. Therapeutic effects of filiform needle acupuncture were better than those of antidepressant drugs.”

Zhang J, Chen J, Chen J, et al. Early filiform needle acupuncture for poststroke depression: a meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled clinical trials. Neural Regen Res. 2014 Apr 1;9(7):773-84

“Overall, there is good scientific evidence encouraging acupuncture therapy to treat anxiety disorders as it yields effective outcomes, with fewer side effects than conventional treatment. More research in this area is however needed.”

Amorim D, Amado J, Brito I, et al. Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture for Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Research. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2018 May; 31:31-37

“Auricular acupuncture, a minimally invasive method, effectively reduces state anxiety before dental treatment.”

Michalek-Sauberer A, Gusenleitner E, Gleiss G, et al. Auricular Acupuncture Effectively Reduces State Anxiety Before Dental Treatment--A Randomised Controlled Trial. Clin Oral Investig. 2012 Dec;16(6):1517-22

“This systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that acupuncture combined with antidepressant medication is effective, has an early onset of action, safe and well-tolerated over the first 6-week treatment period. Moreover, this treatment combination appears to result in greater therapeutic efficacy than SSRI therapy alone.”

Chan YY, Lo WY, Yang SN, et al. The Benefit of Combined Acupuncture and Antidepressant Medication for Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Affect Disord. 2015 May 1;176:106-17

“Functional gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in the general population. Especially, motor dysfunction of the GI tract and visceral hypersensitivity are important. Acupuncture has been used to treat GI symptoms in China for thousands of years. It is conceivable that acupuncture may be effective in patients with functional GI disorders because it has been shown to alter acid secretion, GI motility, and visceral pain. Acupuncture at the lower limbs (ST-36) causes muscle contractions via the somatoparasympathetic pathway, while at the upper abdomen (CV-12) it causes muscle relaxation via the somatosympathetic pathway. In some patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and functional dyspepsia (FD), peristalsis and gastric motility are impaired. The stimulatory effects of acupuncture at ST-36 on GI motility may be beneficial to patients with GERD or FD, as well as to those with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), who show delayed colonic transit. In contrast, the inhibitory effects of acupuncture at CV-12 on GI motility may be beneficial to patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS, because enhanced colonic motility and accelerated colonic transit are reported in such patients. Acupuncture at CV-12 may inhibit gastric acid secretion via the somatosympathetic pathway. Thus, acupuncture may be beneficial to GERD patients. The antiemetic effects of acupuncture at PC-6 (wrist) may be beneficial to patients with FD, whereas the antinociceptive effects of acupuncture at PC-6 and ST-36 may be beneficial to patients with visceral hypersensitivity.”

Takahashi T. Acupuncture for functional gastrointestinal disorders. J Gastroenterol. 2006 May; 41(5):408-17

“Additional acupuncture in patients with dysmenorrhea was associated with improvements in pain and quality of life as compared to treatment with usual care alone and was cost-effective within usual thresholds.”

Witt CM, Reinhold T, Brinkhaus B, et al. Acupuncture in patients with dysmenorrhea: a randomized study on clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in usual care. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008 Feb;198(2): 166.e1-8

“The review found promising evidence in the form of RCTs for the use of acupuncture in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea compared with pharmacological treatment or herbal medicine.”

Cho SH, Hwang EW.  Acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review.  BJOG. 2010 Apr;117(5):509-21

“Acupuncture could be considered as an effective treatment modality for the management of primary dysmenorrhea.”

Shetty GB, Shetty B, Mooventhn A, et al. Efficacy of Acupuncture in the Management of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2018 Aug;11(4):153-158

“In the treatment of chronic epicondylopathia lateralis humeri, acupuncture in which real acupuncture points were selected and stimulated was superior to non-specific acupuncture with respect to reduction in pain and improvement in the functioning of the arm. These changes are particularly marked at early follow-up”.

Fink M, Wolkenstein E, Karst M, at el. Acupuncture in chronic epicondylitis: a randomized controlled trial. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2002 Feb; 41(2):205-9

“There is strong evidence suggesting that acupuncture is effective in the short-term relief of lateral epicondyle pain”.

Trinh KV, Phillips SD, Ho E, at el. Acupuncture for the alleviation of lateral epicondyle pain: a systematic review. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2004 Sep; 43(9):1085-90

“This study showed that electro-acupuncture is superior to manual acupuncture in treating patients with tennis elbow”.

Tsui P, Leung MC. Comparison of the effectiveness between manual acupuncture and electro-acupuncture on patients with tennis elbow. Acupunct Electrother Res 2002; 27(2):107-17

“Acupuncture shows great potential in the management of cancer-related fatigue. As a randomized trial with acupuncture is feasible and preliminary data shows significant improvements, it should be tested further using a large sample and a multicenter design.”

Molassiotis A, Sylt P, Diggins H, et al. The Management of Cancer-Related Fatigue After Chemotherapy With Acupuncture and Acupressure: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Complement Ther Med. 2007 Dec;15(4):228-37

“The present study suggests that acupuncture treatment is effective to relieve pain for fibromyalgia patients in terms of quality of life (QoL) and the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ).”

Itoh K, Kitakoji H. Effects of acupuncture to treat fibromyalgia: a preliminary randomized controlled trial. Chin Med. 2010 Mar 23; 5:1

“Addition of acupuncture to usual treatments for fibromyalgia may be beneficial for pain and quality of life for 3 months after the end of treatment.”

Targino RA, Imamura M, Kaziyama HH, et al. A randomized controlled trial of acupuncture added to usual treatment for fibromyalgia. J Rehabil Med. 2008 Jul; 40(7):582-8

“Acupuncture therapy is an effective and safe treatment for patients with fibromyalgia, and this treatment can be recommended for the management of fibromyalgia”

Zhang XC, Chen H, Xu WT, et al. Acupuncture Therapy for Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.  J Pain Res. 2019 Jan 30; 12:527-542

“Electro-acupuncture coupled with conventional treatments provided a success rate of 80% in chronic planar fasciitis which was more effective than conventional treatments alone. The effects lasted for at least six weeks.”

Kumnerddee W, Pattapong N. Efficacy of electro-acupuncture in chronic plantar fasciitis: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Chin Med. 2012;40(6):1167-76

“Electroacupuncture can effectively improve the proprioception of athletes with FAI and achieves a superior efficacy as compared with the conventional physiotherapy.”

Zhu Y, Qiu ML, Ding Y, at el. Effects of electroacupuncture on the proprioception of athletes with functional ankle instability. Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2012 Jun; 32(6):503-6

“Acupuncture leads to persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary care patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine. Expansion of NHS acupuncture services should be considered.”

Vickers AJ, Rees RW, Zollman CE, et al. Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomized trial. BMJ. Mar 27, 2004; 328(7442):744; Açu Research II

“Electroacupuncture to distal points alone is effective for short-term symptomatic relief of  tension-type headache.”

Xue C, Dong L, Polus B, et al. Electroacupuncture for tension-type headache on distal acupoints only: a randomized, controlled, crossover trial. Headache 2004; 44(4):333-41

“According to international cost-effectiveness threshold values, acupuncture is a cost-effective treatment in patients with primary headache.”

Witt CM, Reinhold T, Jena S, et al. Cost-effectiveness of acupuncture treatment in patients with headache. Cephalalgia. 2008 Apr;28 (4):334-45

“Acupuncture could be a valuable non-pharmacological tool in patients with frequent episodic or chronic tension-type headaches.”

Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, et al. Acupuncture for tension-type headache. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009 Jan 21;(1):CD007587

“Acupuncture is more effective than advice and exercises in the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip.”

Haslam R. A comparison of acupuncture with advice and exercises on the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip--a randomised controlled trial. Acupunct Med. 2001; 19:19-26

“These results indicate that acupuncture plus routine care is associated with marked clinical improvement in patients with chronic osteoarthritis-associated pain of the knee or hip.”

Witt CM, Jena S, Brinkhaus B, et al.  Acupuncture in Patients With Osteoarthritis of the Knee or Hip: A Randomized, Controlled Trial With an Additional Nonrandomized Arm. Arthritis Rheum. 2006 Nov;54(11):3485-93

“Acupuncture in association with enhanced self-care is an effective integrative intervention for managing hot flashes and improving quality of life in women with breast cancer.”

Lesi G, Razzini G, Musti MA, et al. Acupuncture As an Integrative Approach for the Treatment of Hot Flashes in Women With Breast Cancer: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial (AcCliMaT). J Clin Oncol. 2016 May 20;34(15):1795-802

"The results of this study show that acupuncture might lower blood pressure in prehypertension and stage I hypertension, and further RCT need 97 participants in each group. The effect of acupuncture on prehypertension and mild hypertension should be confirmed in larger studies."

Liu Y, Park JE, Shin KM, et al. Acupuncture lowers blood pressure in mild hypertension patients: a randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded pilot trial. Complement Ther Med. 2015 Oct;23(5):658-65.

“Our results are consistent with acupuncture significantly lowers blood pressure in patients taking antihypertensive medications. We did not find that acupuncture without antihypertensive medications significantly improves blood pressure in those hypertensive patients.”

Li DZ, Zhou Y, Yang YN, et al.  Acupuncture for essential hypertension: a meta-analysis of randomized sham-controlled clinical trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014; 2014:279478.

“The existing evidence shows that acupuncture could be used for treating hypertension, and it may have the same effects as common medication. However, due to the low qualities of the original studies, the quality of this evidence is poor. Therefore, it is recommended that more scientific research be performed to confirm the efficacy of acupuncture.”

Tan XD, Pan YJ, Su W, et al. Acupuncture Therapy for Essential Hypertension: A Network Meta-Analysis. Ann Transl Med. 2019 Jun;7(12):266

“The key contribution of this article involves the use of cellular immunology and molecular biological theory to interpret and synthesize evidence from disparate animal and human studies in formulating the 'acupuncture immuno-enhancement hypothesis': clinicians may use acupuncture to promote the induction and secretion of NK-cell activating cytokines that engage specific NK cell receptors that endogenously enhance anticancer immune function.”

Johnston MF, Sánchez EO, et al. Acupuncture May Stimulate Anticancer Immunity via Activation of Natural Killer Cells. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:481625.

“Acupuncture and its combined therapy may be effective for treating female infertility.”

Liu Y, Wu LQ, Yao SQ, et al. Acupuncture for Infertile Women Without Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Jul;98(29): e16463

“Acupuncture as a treatment for infertility shows great results both in man and women. Acupuncture can be considered as successful treatment in restoring fertility in the patients, by improving the sperm quality and ovaries function and balancing the endocrine system and hormones.”

Zhu JH, Arsovska B, Kozovska K. Acupuncture Treatment for Fertility. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018 Sep 19;6(9):1685-1687

“Based on an analysis of the studies, acupuncture improves the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) among women undergoing IVF. When the studies were restricted to Asian or non-Asian area patients, compared with traditional acupuncture and other methods, electrical acupuncture yielded better IVF outcomes. Optimal positive effects could be expected using acupuncture in IVF during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH), especially in Asian area.”

Qian Y, Xia XR, Ochin H, et al. Therapeutic Effect of Acupuncture on the Outcomes of in Vitro Fertilization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2017 Mar;295(3):543-558

“Our analysis finds a benefit of acupuncture for IVF outcomes in women with a history of unsuccessful IVF attempt, and number of acupuncture treatments is a potential influential factor.”

Xie ZY, Peng ZH, Yao B, et al. The Effects of Acupuncture on Pregnancy Outcomes of in Vitro Fertilization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019 Jun 14;19(1):131

“Electro-Acupuncture (EA) improves oocytes' growth in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).”

Budihastuti UR, Melinawati E, et al. Electroacupuncture Effect on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome to Improve Oocytes' Growth. Med Acupunct. 2019 Dec 1;31(6):379-383

“One treatment option for couples with infertility that enables the highest success rate is in vitro fertilization (IVF). With this technique, various causes of infertility can be overcome, whether they are caused by anatomical abnormalities in women or abnormalities of sexual dysfunction in men. Acupuncture, a nonpharmacologic therapy with minimal side-effects, according to various studies is be beneficial for increasing the success of IVF. There are several mechanisms of acupuncture related to this, such as: (1) modulating neuroendocrine factors; (2) increasing blood flow to the uterus and ovaries; (3) modulating immune factors; and (4) reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. Because acupuncture does not have bad side-effects, it is an adjuvant therapy that can be performed at each stage of the IVF procedure to increase the chances of successful IVF.”

Djaali W, Abdurrohim K, et al. Management of Acupuncture as Adjuvant Therapy for In Vitro Fertilization. Med Acupunct. 2019 Dec 1;31(6):361-365

“Acupuncture treatment is more effective than sham acupuncture treatment in increasing insomnia patients' sleep quality and improving their psychological health.”

Yin X, Guo MH, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture Treatment on Primary Insomnia: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Sleep Med. 2017 Sep;37:193-200

“Acupuncture was shown to significantly improve the sleep quality in pregnant women, possibly through increasing melatonin secretion, and could be recommended as a low-cost and low-risk alternative treatment to pharmacological therapies.”

Foroughinia S, Hessami K, et al. Effect of Acupuncture on Pregnancy-Related Insomnia and Melatonin: A Single-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nat Sci Sleep. 2020 May 13;12:271-278

“This systematic review indicates that acupuncture could be an alternative therapy to medication for treating depression-related insomnia.”

Dong B, Chen ZQ, et al. The Efficacy of Acupuncture for Treating Depression-Related Insomnia Compared With a Control Group: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:9614810

“Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome provided an additional benefit over usual care alone. The magnitude of the effect was sustained over the longer term. Acupuncture should be considered as a treatment option to be offered in primary care alongside other evidenced based treatments.”

MacPherson H, Tilbrook H, Bland JM, et al. Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: primary care based pragmatic randomized controlled trial. BMC Gastroenterol. 2012 Oct 24; 12:150

“Acupuncture for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome is superior to conventional treatment of western medication, which can improve the clinical symptoms and reduce the recurrence rate of patients.”

Deng D, Guo KK, Tan J, et al. Acupuncture for Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome: a Meta-Analysis.  Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2017 Aug 12;37(8):907-912

“Acupuncture is safe and has a trend to improve the lymphedema related to breast cancer, yet it did not significantly change arm circumference in BCRL.”

Chien TJ, Liu CY, Fang CJ. The Effect of Acupuncture in Breast Cancer-Related Lymphoedema (BCRL): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Integr Cancer Ther. Jan-Dec 2019; 18:1534735419866910

“Acupuncture for breast cancer related lymphoedema (BCRL) appears safe and may reduce arm circumference.”

Cassileth BR, Zee KJV, Yeung KS, et al. Acupuncture in the Treatment of Upper-Limb Lymphedema: Results of a Pilot Study. Cancer. 2013 Jul 1;119(13):2455-61

“Acupuncture significantly alleviated menopause symptoms for at least 3 months, but not hot flushes. Breast cancer patients concerned about the adverse effects of hormone therapy could consider acupuncture as an alternative. Additional acupuncture at 3 months after the initial treatment course could be considered.”

Chien T-J, Liu C-Y, Fang C-J, et al. The Maintenance Effect of Acupuncture on Breast Cancer-Related Menopause Symptoms: A Systematic Review. Climacteric. 2020 Apr;23(2):130-139

“Evidence from RCTs supports the use of acupuncture as an adjunctive or stand-alone treatment for reducing vasomotor symptoms (VMSs) and improving health related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes”

Befus D, Coeytaux R, Goldstein KM, et al. Management of Menopause Symptoms With Acupuncture: An Umbrella Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Altern Complement Med. 2018 Apr;24(4):314-323

Our results suggest that acupuncture in addition to usual care is associated with marked clinical improvement in hot flashes and menopause-related symptoms in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women.”

Kim HK, Kang KW, Kim DI, et al. Effects of Acupuncture on Hot Flashes in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women--A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial. Menopause. 2010 Mar;17(2):269-80

“The comprehensive auricular acupuncture reduces apparently the headache score for migraine without aura and relieves the clinical symptoms of migraine. It is the simple and effective therapy for migraine without aura.”

Yang DH, Ma ZB, Han J, et al. Migraine without aura treated by comprehensive auricular acupuncture: a multicentral controlled study. Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2012 Nov; 32(11):971-4

“Acupuncture therapy can raise the migraineurs' life quality, lessen the times and severity of headache attack and its therapeutic effect is superior to that of medication” 

Wu JP, Gu SZ. Randomized controlled clinical trials for acupuncture treatment of aura-absence migraine patients. Acupuncture Research 2011 Apr; 36(2):128-31,149

“Acupuncture at points of The Liver and Gallbladder Meridians for treatment of migraine is safe, effective, and with stable long-term therapeutic effect.”

Zhong GW, Li W, Luo YH, et al.  Acupuncture at points of the liver and gallbladder meridians for treatment of migraine: a multi-center randomized and controlled study. Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2009 April; 29(4):259-63

 “Verum acupuncture treatment is more effective than sham acupuncture based on either Chinese or Western nonacupoint in reducing the discomfort of acute migraine. Verum acupuncture is also clearly effective in relieving pain and preventing migraine relapse or aggravation”. 

Li Y, Liang F, Yang X, et al. Acupuncture for treating acute attacks of migraine: a randomized controlled trial. Headache 2009 Jun;49(6):805-16

“Perioperative P6 electroacupuncture in awake patients significantly reduced the occurrence of nausea compared with the sham and control groups.”

Rusy L, Hoffman GM, Weisman SJ. Electroacupuncture Prophylaxis of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting Following Pediatric Tonsillectomy With or Without Adenoidectomy. Anesthesiology. 2002 Feb;96(2):300-5

“Acupuncture is an effective treatment for women who experience nausea and dry retching in early pregnancy.”

Smith C, Crowther C, Beilby J. Acupuncture to Treat Nausea and Vomiting in Early Pregnancy: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Birth. 2002 Mar;29(1):1-9

“Children receiving acupuncture plus antiemetic therapy had less risk of developing nausea during phase I and II recovery, but there was no difference in PONV on POD 1. Acupuncture may reduce nausea in the PACU, even when combined with antiemetics.”

Martin CS,  Deverman SE, Norvell DC, et al. Randomized Trial of Acupuncture With Antiemetics for Reducing Postoperative Nausea in Children. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2019 Mar;63(3):292-297

“Acupuncture is an appropriate adjunctive treatment for chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting, but additional studies are needed.”

Garcia MK, McQuade J, Haddad R, et al. Systematic Review of Acupuncture in Cancer Care: A Synthesis of the Evidence. J Clin Oncol. 2013 Mar 1;31(7):952-60

“The quantitative meta-analysis conducted in this review confirmed the short-term effectiveness and efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of neck pain”.

Fu LM, Li JT, Wu WS. Randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for neck pain: systematic review and meta-analysis.  J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Feb;15(2):133-45

“There is moderate evidence that acupuncture relieves pain better than some sham treatments, measured at the end of the treatment. There is moderate evidence that those who received acupuncture reported less pain at short-term follow-up than those on a waiting list. There is also moderate evidence that acupuncture is more effective than inactive treatments for relieving pain post treatment, and this is maintained at short-term follow-up”.

Trinh K, Graham N, Gross A, et al. Acupuncture for neck disorders. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007 Jan 15;32(2):236-43

“The acupuncture and moxibustion therapeutic program in terms of the heart and kidney theory achieves the superior efficacy on chronic pain of cervical spondylosis for the patients over 45 years old and with over 7 years sick duration. It is one of the optimized programs for the treatment of this disease”.

 Xu SJ, Liang ZH, Fu WB. Chronic neck pain of cervical spondylosis treated with acupuncture and moxibustion in terms of the heart and kidney theory: a randomized controlled trial. Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2012 Sep;32(9):769-75

“Intensive acupuncture treatment may improve activity at work and several relevant social and psychological variables for women with chronic pain in the neck and shoulders. The effect may last for at least three years”.

He D, Høstmark AT, Veiersted KB, et al.  Effect of intensive acupuncture on pain-related social and psychological variables for women with chronic neck and shoulder pain--an RCT with six month and three year follow up. Acupuncture Med. 2005 Jun; 23(2):52-61

“Adequate acupuncture treatment may reduce chronic pain in the neck and shoulders and related headache. The effect lasted for 3 years”.

He D, Veiersted KB, Hostmark AT, et al. Effect of acupuncture treatment on chronic neck and shoulder pain in sedentary female workers: a 6-month and 3-year follow-up study. Pain; 2004: 109(3):299-307

“Acupuncture can be an option in the treatment of idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (ITN) due to its analgesic effect in both ITN and secondary myofascial pain associated with it.”

Ichida MC, Zemuner M, et al. Acupuncture Treatment for Idiopathic Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Longitudinal Case-Control Double Blinded Study. Chin J Integr Med. 2017 Nov;23(11):829-836

“Early intervention of acupuncture with acute facial neuritis can appropriately slow the progression of facial nerve injury, improve the therapeutic effect, and shorten the clinical recovery time.”

Wang Y, Yu XY. Clinical Observation of Interventional Opportunity for Acupuncture Treatment of Acute Facial Neuritis. Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion 2019 Mar 12;39(3):237-40.

“We have demonstrated the practicality and feasibility of acupuncture as an additional treatment for people with diabetic painful neuropathy (DPN). The treatment was well tolerated with no appreciable side effects.”

Garrow AP, Xing M, Vere J, et al.  Role of acupuncture in the management of diabetic painful neuropathy (DPN): a pilot RCT.  Acupunct Med. 2014 Jun;32(3):242-9

“Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a toxicity that often persists for months to years after the completion of adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer. In a randomized pilot trial of 40 breast cancer survivors with CIPN, an 8-week acupuncture intervention (vs. usual care) led to a statistically and clinically significant improvement in subjective sensory symptoms including neuropathic pain and paresthesia.” 

Lu WD, Giobbie-Hurder A, Freedman RA, et al. Acupuncture for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. Oncologist. 2019 Oct 14; the oncologist.2019-0489

“The results of this study demonstrated that a joint protocol of acupuncture and reflexology has a potential to improve symptoms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in breast cancer patients.”

Ben-Horin I, Kahan P, Ryvo L, et al. Acupuncture and Reflexology for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Breast Cancer. Integr Cancer Ther. 2017 Sep;16(3):258-262

“Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a toxicity that often persists for months to years after the completion of adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer. In a randomized pilot trial of 40 breast cancer survivors with CIPN, an 8-week acupuncture intervention (vs. usual care) led to a statistically and clinically significant improvement in subjective sensory symptoms including neuropathic pain and paresthesia.” 

Lu WD, Giobbie-Hurder A, Freedman RA, et al. Acupuncture for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. Oncologist. 2019 Oct 14; the oncologist.2019-0489

“The results of this study demonstrated that a joint protocol of acupuncture and reflexology has a potential to improve symptoms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in breast cancer patients.”

Ben-Horin I, Kahan P, Ryvo L, et al. Acupuncture and Reflexology for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Breast Cancer. Integr Cancer Ther. 2017 Sep;16(3):258-262

“Our findings indicate that certain modes of acupuncture improved postoperative pain on the first day after surgery and reduced opioid use. Our findings support the use of acupuncture as adjuvant therapy in treating postoperative pain.”

Wu MS, Chen KH, Chen IF, et al. The Efficacy of Acupuncture in Post-Operative Pain Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 9;11(3): e0150367

“Acupuncture was effective for reducing PTSD symptoms…Acupuncture is a novel therapeutic option that may help to improve population reach of PTSD treatment.”

Engel CC, Cordova EH, Benedek DM, et al.  Randomized effectiveness trial of a brief course of acupuncture for posttraumatic stress disorder. Med. Care. 2014 Dec;52(12 Suppl 5): S57-64

“Real acupuncture, compared with a sham needling procedure, resulted in a significant improvement in sleep measures for veterans with mTBI and disturbed sleep, even in the presence of PTSD. These results indicate that an alternative-medicine treatment modality like acupuncture can provide clinically significant relief for a particularly recalcitrant problem affecting large segments of the veteran population.”

Huang W, Johnson TM, Kutner NG, et al. Acupuncture for Treatment of Persistent Disturbed Sleep: A Randomized Clinical Trial in Veterans with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. J Clin Psychiatry. 2018 Dec 11;80(1):18m12235

“No serious or severe cases such as pneumothorax, infection, or spinal cord injury were reported by the college preceptors and interns. The results indicate that serious or severe adverse events are rare in standard practice. We suggest that most severe or serious cases of adverse events caused by acupuncture reported in journals are actually cases of negligence.”

Yamashita H, Tsukayama H, Tanno Y, et al. Adverse Events in Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatment: A Six-Year Survey at a National Clinic in Japan. J Altern Complement Med. 1999 Jun;5(3):229-36

“Results of this pilot study indicate that acupuncture is safe and may effectively relieve symptoms and disability in patients with non-acute sciatica.”

Liu CH, Kung YY, Lin CL, et al. Therapeutic Efficacy and the Impact of the "Dose" Effect of Acupuncture to Treat Sciatica: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study. J Pain Res. 2019 Dec 31; 12:3511-3520

“Twelve sessions of acupuncture showed short-term clinical benefits in relieving the symptoms of leg pain for patients with chronic discogenic sciatica compared with sham acupuncture. Acupuncture is safe in treating chronic discogenic sciatica.”

Huang ZL, Liu SX, Zhou J, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture for Chronic Discogenic Sciatica, a Randomized Controlled Sham Acupuncture Trial. Pain Med. 2019 Nov 1;20(11):2303-2310

“Acupuncture appears to have promise for treating male sexual dysfunction”

Tsai MY, Liu CT, et al. Overview of the Relevant Literature on the Possible Role of Acupuncture in Treating Male Sexual Dysfunction. Acupunct Med. 2014 Oct;32(5):406-10.

“In this cohort of premenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), 5 weeks of acupuncture therapy was associated with significant improvements in sexual function, particularly desire. This supports a role for acupuncture as a therapeutic option for women with low desire.”

Oakley SH, Walther-Liu J, et al. Acupuncture in Premenopausal Women With Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: A Prospective Cohort Pilot Study. Sex Med. 2016 Sep;4(3):e176-81.

“The trial indicates that Chinese acupuncture is an effective alternative to conventional orthopedic treatment for chronic shoulder pain"

Molsberger AF, Schneider T, Gotthardt H, et al.  German Randomized Acupuncture Trial for chronic shoulder pain (GRASP) – a pragmatic, controlled, patient-blinded, multi- centre trial in an outpatient care environment. Orthopedic Surgery and Research, 44780

“Following arthroscopic acromioplasty, real acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture offered significantly greater improvement via: (1) lower pain level, (2) less analgesic use, (3) range of motion, and (4) patient satisfaction”.

Gilbertson B, Wenner K, Russell LC, et al. Acupuncture and arthroscopic acromioplasty. J Orthop Res. 2003 Jul; 21(4):752-8

“The combined therapy of electroacupuncture and Tuina is a normative manipulation, and the therapeutic effect is satisfying for post-stroke shoulder pain, superior to that of comprehensive rehabilitation treatment”.

Li N, Tian FW, Wang CW, et al. Double-center randomized controlled trial on post-stroke shoulder pain treated by electroacupuncture combined with Tuina. Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2012 Feb; 32(2):101-5

“Single-point acupuncture in association with physiotherapy improves shoulder function and alleviates pain, compared with physiotherapy as the sole treatment. This improvement is accompanied by a reduction in the consumption of analgesic medicaments”.

Vas J, Ortega C, Olmo V, et al. Single-point acupuncture and physiotherapy for the treatment of painful shoulder: a multicentre randomized controlled trial. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2008 Jun; 47(6):887-93

“The conclusion is that acupuncture therapies for psoriasis are simple, convenient, and effective, with long-lasting therapeutic effects as well as minimal side effects and toxicity.”

Xiang Y, Wu X, et al. An Overview of Acupuncture for Psoriasis Vulgaris, 2009-2014. J Dermatolog Treat. 2017 May;28(3):221-228

“Acupuncture-related techniques could be considered as an alternative or adjuvant therapy for psoriasis in short term, especially of acupressure and acupoint catgut embedding. “

Yeh ML, Ko SH, et al. Systematic Review With Pairwise and Network Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Altern Complement Med. 2017 Dec;23(12):930-940.

“Acupuncture improves outcome measures in the treatment of dermatitis, chloasma, pruritus, urticaria, hyperhidrosis, and facial elasticity. “

Ma C, Sivamani RK. Acupuncture as a Treatment Modality in Dermatology: A Systematic Review. J Altern Complement Med. 2015 Sep;21(9):520-9.

“Acupuncture improves outcome measures in the treatment of dermatitis, chloasma, pruritus, urticaria, hyperhidrosis, and facial elasticity.”

Ma C, Sivamani RK. Acupuncture as a Treatment Modality in Dermatology: A Systematic Review. J Altern Complement Med. 2015 Sep;21(9):520-9

“Acupuncture treatment is significantly better than antihistamine administration alone in the treatment of chronic urticaria, with lower recurrence rate.”

Zhao J Q, Ma TM. A Meta-analysis of Acupuncture Therapy for Chronic Urticaria. Acupuncture Research 2020 Jan 25;45(1):66-73

“Acupuncture combined with auricular therapy effectively reduce nicotine dependence and smoking intensity and relieve withdrawal symptoms.”

Chai X, Yang JS, et al. Effect of the Different Smoking Cessation Regimens With Acupuncture on Smoking Withdrawal and Their Influence Factors: A Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial. Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion 2019 Dec 12;39(12):1255-61.

“Among women with stress urinary incontinence, treatment with electroacupuncture involving the lumbosacral region, compared with sham electroacupuncture, resulted in less urine leakage after 6 weeks.”

Liu Z, Liu Y, Xu H, et al. Effect of Electroacupuncture on Urinary Leakage Among Women With Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2017 Jun 27;317(24):2493-2501

“The findings suggest that acupuncture is a prospective therapy targeting neurogenesis for ischemic stroke.”

Lu L, Zhang XG, Zhong LL, et al.  Acupuncture for neurogenesis in experimental ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2016 Jan 20; 6:19521

“Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture or electroacupuncture significantly decreased spasticity after stroke. A subgroup analysis showed that acupuncture significantly decreased wrist, knee, and elbow spasticity in poststroke patients. Heterogeneity could be explained by the differences in control, acupoints, and the duration after stroke occurrence. In conclusion, acupuncture could be effective in decreasing spasticity after stroke.”

Lim SM, Yoo J, Lee E, et al. Acupuncture for spasticity after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015; 2015:870398

“Current evidence provisionally demonstrates that acupuncture treatment is superior to either non-acupuncture or conventional therapy for cerebral infarction”

Li L, Zhang H, Meng SQ, et al. An updated meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for cerebral infarction. PLoS One. 2014 Dec 1;9(12): e114057

“Acupuncture therapy seems effective for motor function, pain relief and activities of daily living in stroke patients with mild shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS), when it is used in combination with rehabilitation.”

Liu SN, Zhang CS, Cai YY, et al. Acupuncture for Post-stroke Shoulder-Hand Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Neurol.2019 Apr 26; 10:433

“Electroacupuncture therapy combined with rehabilitation program is effective for the spasticity status of lower- extremity in post-stroke. The therapeutic effect of EA in the frequencies of 100 Hz or 50 Hz is superior to that of 2 Hz stimulation and parameter of 100 Hz may be optimal.”

Wang XB, Chen J, Li TJ, et al. Effect of electroacupuncture in different frequencies on electromyography and ambulation in stroke patients with lower- extremity spasticity: a randomized controlled study. Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2011 Jul; 31(7):580-4

"Tiaoshen Zhitong" needling is effective in reducing post-stroke shoulder pain and improving the motor function of the upper limb and shoulder-joint as well as the quality of daily life in stroke patients with shoulder pain. Its analgesic effect is probably related to the increase of the levels of serum β-EP, ENK and Dyn.”

Wang WM, Zhang ZL, Wang X, et al. Clinical Trials of Acupuncture Treatment of Post-Stroke Shoulder Pain. Acupuncture Research. 2019 Aug 25;44(8):605-9

“Acupuncture is safe and improves cognitive function and depressive disorder without obvious serious adverse events for post stroke patients.”

Hung C, Wu XY, Chung V, et al. Overview of Systematic Reviews With Meta-Analyses on Acupuncture in Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairment and Depression Management. Integr Med Res. 2019 Sep;8(3):145-159

“Despite the weak scientific evidence supporting its efficacy, acupuncture treatment appears to relieve the signs and symptoms of pain in myofascial TMD.”

Fernandes AC, Duarte Moura DM, Da Silva LGD, et al. Acupuncture in Temporomandibular Disorder Myofascial Pain Treatment: A Systematic Review. J Oral Facial Pain Headache. 2017 Summer;31(3):225-232

“Our results indicate that conventional acupuncture therapy is effective in reducing the degree of pain in patients with TMD, especially those with myofascial pain symptoms.”

Wu JY, Zhang C, Xu YP, et al. Acupuncture Therapy in the Management of the Clinical Outcomes for Temporomandibular Disorders: A PRISMA-compliant Meta-Analysis. Medicine (Baltimore) .2017 Mar;96(9): e6064

“Acupuncture given concurrently with radiotherapy significantly reduced xerostomia and improved quality of life.”

Meng ZQ, Garcia MK, Hu C, et al. Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupuncture for Prevention of Radiation-Induced Xerostomia Among Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma. Cancer. 2012 Jul 1;118(13):3337-44