Anxiety

Research concludes acupuncture for anxiety may have beneficial effects.

Samuels N, Gropp C, Singer SR, Oberbaum M. Acupuncture for psychiatric illness: a literature review. Behav Med. 2008 Summer;34(2):55-64.

There is promising evidence for acupuncture's effectiveness in acute, short-term anxiety, but its relevance to chronic anxiety conditions remains unclear.        

Pilkington K. Anxiety, depression and acupuncture: A review of the clinical research. Auton Neurosci. 2010 Oct 28;157(1-2):91-5.

Acne

A systematic review has found that moxibustion and acupuncture for acne is both safe and effective, potentially offering better results than standard Western medicine.                                                                                                      

Li B, Chai H, Du YH, Xiao L, Xiong J. [Evaluation of therapeutic effect and safety for clinical randomized and controlled trials of treatment of acne with acupuncture and moxibustion]. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2009 Mar;29(3):247-51

Back and neck pain

The results found that participants that used acupuncture for back pain and acupuncture for neck pain experienced less pain compared to those who did not receive acupuncture.

Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, MacPherson H, Foster NE, Sherman KJ, Irnich D, Witt CM, Linde K; Acupuncture Trialists' Collaboration. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. J Pain. 2018 May;19(5):455-474.

Dysmenorrhoea (Painful periods)

Acupuncture for period pain is proving to be significantly more effective compared to no treatment or the use of anti inflammatory drugs, and it may start alleviating pain from the very first session.

Woo HL, Ji HR, Pak YK, Lee H, Heo SJ, Lee JM, Park KS. The efficacy and safety of acupuncture in women with primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Jun;97(23).

Depression

A large, high-quality trial conducted in the UK indicates that acupuncture for depression is effective when compared to standard care.

MacPherson H, Richmond S, Bland M, Brealey S, Gabe R, Hopton A, Keding A, Lansdown H, Perren S, Sculpher M, Spackman E, Torgerson D, Watt I. Acupuncture and counselling for depression in primary care: a randomised controlled trial. PLoS Med. 2013;10(9).

Endometriosis

Evidence supports the use of acupuncture for endometriosis as a viable treatment.

Wayne PM, Kerr CE, Schnyer RN, Legedza AT, Savetsky-German J, Shields MH, Buring JE, Davis RB, Conboy LA, Highfield E, Parton B, Thomas P, Laufer MR. Japanese-style acupuncture for endometriosis-related pelvic pain in adolescents and young women: results of a randomized sham-controlled trial. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2008 Oct;21(5):247-57.

Headaches

Overall, results showed patients who recieved acupuncture for migraines and tension headaches, experienced less pain compared to those in the no-acupuncture control group.

Vickers, A.J., et al., Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. The journal of pain: official journal of the American Pain Society, 2018. 19(5): p. 455-474.

Infertility

A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis, acupuncture for fertility was found to significantly improve birth rates in sub-fertile women undergoing IVF.

Zhang X, Lee MS, Smith CA, Robinson N, Zhou Y, Wu Y, Mao Y-Y, Qu F (2018). Effects of acupuncture during in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Integrative Medicine 23:14–25.

Insomnia

A study into acupuncture for insomnia found, “acupuncture appears to be effective in the treatment of insomnia”

Cao H, Pan X, Li H, Liu J. Acupuncture for treatment of insomnia: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Nov;15(11):1171-86.

Chronic fatigue syndrome

The treatment effect of moxibustion and acupuncture for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) was significantly greater than that of other therapies.                                

Fang, Y., et al., Acupuncture and moxibustion for chronic fatigue syndrome: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Medicine, 2022. 101(31).