Acupuncture Explained Simply

1. What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture comes from traditional Chinese medicine. Fine needles are inserted at defined points on the skin. In studies, it is usually compared with sham acupuncture, in which needles are inserted only for show or at other points. A comparison with usual care or a waiting list also occurs. What a result means depends strongly on what it was compared with.

2. Where is it found, and what is it made from?

Acupuncture is performed with fine needles at defined skin points. There are various forms: body acupuncture, electroacupuncture with weak current, auricular acupuncture, laser acupuncture without a needle and acupuncture with moxibustion, in which the points are warmed.

3. What does Acupuncture do? What research shows

Back, neck and joint pain

Acupuncture, sometimes together with other treatments, often relieved pain more than control treatments and improved daily functioning 283846. In knee osteoarthritis, electroacupuncture helped better against stiffness than painkillers, and similarly well against pain 39. Laser acupuncture helped in knee osteoarthritis only in the short term 51. The results apply in each case to the form studied.

Sleep, anxiety and depression

For sleep, anxiety and depression, reviews mostly found advantages 2125294244. Acupuncture improved the perception of sleep, but not measured sleep values 29; anxiety and depressive complaints also decreased 254244. In cancer patients, acupuncture hardly differed from sham acupuncture for sleep 54. Mostly body or electroacupuncture was tested.

Stroke and nervous system

After a stroke, acupuncture improved mental performance and swallowing, also compared with sham acupuncture 5658. It was often used in addition to usual care. The comparison groups were very different.

Stomach and gut

For gastrointestinal complaints, reviews and studies mostly found advantages, also compared with sham acupuncture 16475960. Acupuncture improved gastrointestinal complaints and shortened the time to first passing of wind after operations 3235. In very severe constipation, electroacupuncture was overall similar to a medication, weaker at first, but with fewer side effects 57. The results apply to the form studied.

Nausea and vomiting

For nausea and vomiting, reviews found advantages, but partly rate their evidence as low 22343655. After operations and during chemotherapy, nausea and vomiting occurred less often with acupuncture. In addition to anti-nausea medication, acupuncture reduced the frequency and severity of nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy 22. Electrical stimulation of the points reduced only moderate to severe cases, but not the overall frequency compared with a sham treatment 50.

Gynaecology, pregnancy and fertility

In gynecology, pregnancy and fertility, the situation is still unclear. Reviews found more frequent ovulations in PCOS 17, more pregnancies in artificial fertilization 45 and similar advantages in a specific ovulation disorder 49. Compared with sham acupuncture, the pregnancy rate increased over several attempts, but not the number of births 61. The needles were often combined with herbs or moxibustion. How much the needles alone contribute therefore often remains open.

Headache and migraine

For headache and migraine, there are several indications. Acupuncture reduced attack frequency and pain intensity more than preventive medication 2040 and more than sham acupuncture 53. Compared with sham acupuncture, the advantage was not consistent 31. In chronic migraine, it was not superior to a medication 33.

Smoking and addiction

For smoking cessation, there are indications. A review found that more people stopped smoking with acupuncture than in the control groups 52. Whether acupuncture is as effective for smoking cessation as medication is open. The certainty of evidence is moderate.

Other outcomes

For other complaints as well, reviews found advantages, for example in chronic hives, mouth ulcers, tics in children and the lung disease COPD 37414348. However, most reviews rate their own certainty as low to moderate. It often remains open which form and which comparison support the results.

4. How was Acupuncture carried out in the studies?

The needles are inserted at defined skin points. In electroacupuncture, a weak current also flows through the needles. In laser acupuncture, laser light is used instead of a needle. In moxibustion, the points are warmed. Acupuncture was often used in addition to other treatments, such as medication, rehabilitation or herbal medicine.

5. Is Acupuncture safe? Side effects in the studies

The studies report predominantly mild and temporary side effects, such as reactions at the insertion sites. In several papers, adverse events were less common with acupuncture than with comparison treatments 141926. Serious adverse events related to acupuncture were not reported 18. What it was compared with is important: an advantage over a waiting list is to be weighted less than one over sham acupuncture.

All details with tables and sources: full expert page on Acupuncture