Acupuncture is an ancient health care system that has been respected and proven effective by various cultures over the past 5,000 years. While Western culture is assimilating to the idea of integrative medicine, or the use of different health care modalities, there has already been much research done on acupuncture and what it has scientifically been proven effective to treat. 

 

The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) took a stance on acupuncture in 2003, when it published the results of hundreds of clinical trials about the effectiveness and efficacy of acupuncture. The American Medical Association (AMA), National Institute of Health (NIH), and the Mayo Clinic have also made public statements about the effectiveness and scientific credibility of acupuncture; in other words, there is evidence-based science for claiming effectiveness of acupuncture for many symptoms and disorders. Below is a list of the most common symptoms and disorders that have been proven in controlled, clinical trials to be helped by acupuncture, as put forth by the World Health Organization:

Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy

Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)

Biliary colic

Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)

Dysentery, acute bacillary

Dysmenorrhoea, primary

Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)

Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)

Headache

Hypertension, essential

Hypotension, primary

Knee pain

Leukopenia

Low back pain

Malposition of fetus, correction of

Morning sickness

Nausea and vomiting

Neck pain

Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)

Periarthritis of shoulder

Postoperative pain

Renal colic

Rheumatoid arthritis

Sciatica

Sprain

Stroke

Tennis elbow

 

The above is only one list put forth by the WHO about symptoms and disorders treated with acupuncture that have been both studied the most and significantly been proven effective in controlled, clinical trials. There are many more symptoms and disorders that could be listed on this page as being helped or alleviated with acupuncture treatment (i.e. fibromylagia, sinusitis, irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue, etc). However, as acupuncture is a modality that operates differently than western medicine (i.e. prescription drugs), figuring out how to design and conduct randomized, controlled clinical studies for certain conditions with acupuncture is still being conducted by the larger American health institutions. 

​

The FDA is currently looking at incorporating acupuncture referrals and education to primary care physicians as a way of treating chronic pain, over the use of standard prescription medications and surgery. The development of this new blueprint for MD education and training is currently in the works. 

​

​