A massive multi-year study of 17,922 patient outcomes has determined that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of neck and back pain, osteoarthritis, headaches and shoulder pain. This research is one of the largest and most sophisticated studies ever conducted on the efficacy of acupuncture. The findings were recently published in the prestigious Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers conclude, “Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain and is therefore a reasonable referral option.”
Acupuncture Works!In another recent study, researchers conclude that acupuncture is more effective than sham acupuncture and biomedicine for the treatment of knee pain. This study of 3,835 patient outcomes concludes, “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.” The study notes that acupuncture for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis is “better at relieving pain and restoring function” than both conventional biomedical care and sham acupuncture. Yet another investigation between researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, and the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine concludes that, “Recent clinical trial and systematic review results clearly show acupuncture to be more beneficial than conventional standard care for many pain conditions….”
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References:
Vickers AJ, Cronin AM, Maschino AC, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med. Published online September 10, 2012. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3654.
Saudi Med J. 2012 May;33(5):526-32. Needle acupuncture for osteoarthritis of the knee. A systematic review and updated meta-analysis. Cao L, Zhang XL, Gao YS, Jiang Y. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Shifen Xu and Lixing Lao. Medical Acupuncture. March 2012, 24(1): 10-14. doi:10.1089/acu.2011.0831.
