Acupuncture Research

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Acupuncture and Arthritis

The University of Maryland School of Medicine conducted a randomized, controlled trial, which suggests that acupuncture treatment provides pain relief and improved function for people suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee. Annals of Internal Medicine, Dec 21, 2004; 141(12) 901-910.

Acupuncture and Depression

Subjects who received acupuncture as treatment for major depression showed greater improvement than subjects who did not receive treatment. In another study on acupuncture and depression, results suggested that electro-acupuncture had the same results as tetra cyclic drugs, but with the added benefit of fewer side effects and more improvement of symptoms. Acupuncture Treatment for Major Depression, The Tenth Annual Symposium of the Society for Acupuncture Research, 2003. Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2004 Sept; 24(3): 172-6.

Acupuncture and Fibromyalgia

Results of a study conducted by the University of Washington and the Center for Health Studies at Group Health Hospital suggest that significant numbers of participants had improvement in pain (46%), fatigue (51%), sleep (47%), and general well-being (45%). In addition, acupuncture treatments affect change in the Visual Analogue Scale, Myalgic Index, number of tender points and improvement in quality of life based on the SF-36 questionnaire. Society for Acupuncture Research-Tenth Annual Symposium 2003; 29. Targino, RA, et al., Curr Pain Headache Report, 2002 Oct; (5): 379-83.

Acupuncture and Asthma

After acupuncture treatments were applied to patients suffering from bronchial asthma, symptoms were shown to improve and dosage of medications were able to be reduced. Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1998 Mar; 18(1): 27-0.

Acupuncture and Headaches

When acupuncture was used to treat patients with chronic headaches, including migraines, the patient experienced a range of benefits including 22 fewer days of headaches per year, 15% less medication use, and missed 15% fewer days of work. Vickers AJ, et al. BMJ, 2004 Mar 27; 328 (7442).

Acupuncture and Blood Pressure

In a study utilizing acupuncture as a treatment for high blood pressure, it was shown that patients who received acupuncture treatments had an overall decrease in the level of systolic pressure during and after treatments. Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2003 Mar; 23(1): 49-0.

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