11 June 2009

Acupuncture And Pain

In answer to a reader's question, How To Cope With Pain digs up some conclusions about the efficacy of acupuncture.

Acupuncture And Pain: "An excellent review article by Edzard Ernst, M.D.,  reports that the conditions that are most solidly backed up by evidence showing acupuncture helps are:

  • chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting

  • postoperative nausea/vomiting

  • idiopathic headache (headache of unknown cause)

Many other diseases, both pain-related and not, were not helped by acupuncture.  Ernst concludes that studies ‘do not suggest that this treatment is effective for a wide range of conditions.’"


[Read the rest for some limitations in the current literature]

The original article is Acupuncture: What does the most reliable evidence tell us?, in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2009, Vol 37, pages 709-714.

(Via How To Cope With Pain Blog.)

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1 comment:

  1. Unknown03 August, 2009 15:59

    Hi, I'm glad you posted this as I am a new acupuncturist who specializes in pain conditions and pain management. I've also been a massage therapist working on pain conditions/management for over four years.

    Acupuncture truly allows one to manage pain and its symptoms. In addition to the conditions listed, acupuncture can treat:
    - Fibromyalgia
    - Sprains/strains
    - Chronic Pain from Muscle or Bone Conditions
    - Migraines
    - Help aid in the healing of broken bones
    - Etc.

    I'd love to hear more comments on this and can be accessed through:
    www.akoya-acupuncture.com

    ReplyDelete