Research has supported acupuncture as an effective treatment for a number of health conditions in the past, yet it’s not always clear as to whether it would be the best solution to everyone’s needs. So what does research actually tell us about acupuncture and what specific health problems are best alleviated with this traditional method of treatment? Here are six examples of acupuncture benefits stemming from scientific claim…
Improves Effectiveness and Efficiency of Medicines
A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine that was carried out in China back in 2009 discovered that small doses of a certain pharmaceutical, when accompanied by acupuncture treatment, was just as effective as a full dosage.
The pharmaceutical used in the study was fluoxetine, which is commonly used to treat depression and relieve anxiety symptoms. It was also found that acupuncture reduced the side effects commonly associated with the drug, such as weight gain and nausea.
Reduces Side Effects from Radiation Treatment
Cancer patients who pursue radiation treatment are likely to experience various side effects depending on the area of the body that is being treated. Acupuncture is capable of relieving many of the symptoms experienced as a result of these side effects, including nausea which is a common side effect for those who are being treated in the head and neck area.
However, a study published in a journal from the American Cancer Society showed that a number of cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment weren’t necessarily relieved of their symptoms despite an improved quality of life after the treatment.
One of the studies described the experiences of a cancer patient using an acupressure band. The patient experienced less nausea but still had the same occurrence of vomiting afterwards. Another study focusing on the “dry mouth” side effect of radiation treatment found that patients experienced less discomfort despite similar levels of saliva being recorded.
These studies seem to show that the symptoms weren’t relieved after all. Instead, acupuncture seemed to improve the quality of life of the patients once treatment had come to an end.
Lessens Persistent Headaches
Migraines and tension headaches can be extremely pleasant for those suffering from them on a regular basis. They are one of the most common reasons for people to visit their GP and tend to occur more often in women, although anyone can be affected by migraines and tension headaches.
A review of 22 studies that involved acupuncture and its effectiveness in treating tension headaches and migraines found that acupuncture could prevent headaches becoming a consistent problem. The studies also found that acupuncture worked well treating existing headaches.
Treats an Aching Back
Scientific studies relating to acupuncture have focused much of their time on back pain due to the common affiliation between alleviating
back pain through the use of acupuncture. Acupuncture treatment for chronic back pain has been well documented by scientists as more and more people are visiting clinics seeking acupuncture as a method of treatment.
A study from an issue in Archives of Internal Medicine found that people provided with simulated acupuncture, which involves pressure being exerted onto the afflicted area of the body without the use of needles, resulted in a 15% improvement on symptoms compared to the treatment offered through standard chiropractics.
Helps Fight Obesity
This is an interesting one as it hasn’t been well documented in the past, but Korean researchers claim their findings have enough substance to suggest that acupuncture could become an effective weight loss treatment in the future. 31 studies were analysed and it was found that acupuncture resulted in a greater decrease in body weight compared to lifestyle changes and other forms of medication.
However, the researchers also said that, despite their ambitious efforts to find a proven affiliation between acupuncture and weight loss, numerous flaws in their studies were found making it very difficult to determine whether obesity in the long run could be treated with acupuncture. The findings were published in a 2009 Obesity journal.
The only conclusion we can take from this type of study is that incorporating acupuncture into a weight loss programme wouldn’t cause any harm and may even result in further healthy gains.
Kelsey Higgins says
I didn’t realize that acupuncture could treat so many maladies. I’m especially pleased to hear that it can help with headaches. Tension headaches are my worst enemy and I would love to find a way to get rid of them. Maybe I should look into acupuncture!
Jack White says
So from what the article is saying, the absorption of medicine is far more effective when having acupuncture done. Would it be the same for nutrients in food then? I would get acupuncture done in a heart beat if it meant the better absorption of nutrients.
Delores Lyon says
Thanks for sharing these benefits of acupuncture and its importance in your health! I had no idea that it could actually make medicine more effective for the body– that’s absolutely incredible! In fact, this makes me wonder whether I should get acupuncture while I recover from my ankle surgery. If it can make the medication more effective, that would be amazing.
Emily Smith says
I have never had an acupuncture treatment but have heard good things about them. I had no idea that they could help lessen headaches and migraines. For as long as I can remember I get frequent headaches and sometimes migraines. Maybe acupuncture could help me with that.
Jason Strong says
Some of my friends were talking about acupuncture treatments the other day and it sounded very interesting. This is the first time I have ever heard about it so I thought I would look into it more and see what it’s all about. This helped me see that it can be a good way to relief anxiety and depression.
Owen Camden says
I had no idea that acupuncture could help decrease the side effects of different medicine. I never would have thought that acupuncture could do that. It is also interesting that it can help get rid of headaches. It is amazing how many benefits there are that come with acupuncture. This is definitely something that I am going to have to look into more.
Maria Haven says
This is a really interesting article. I guess most people regard acupuncture as some kind of “alternative medicine” but studies like these show that there is actually scientific evidence to support the claims. It would be really interesting to know whether GPs can recommend UK acupuncture like this?
Brandon Roberts says
I am so glad that I was able to find this! My wife has been having some gnarly headaches lately, and she wasn’t sure what to do about them. That being said, I really appreciate you letting me know that acupuncture could really help with that. I’ll make sure I show this to her right away so that we can start looking for someone to help her.
Correy Smith says
The part that mentioned how acupuncture prevents obesity sure sounds interesting. Would it be because of all those needles that are placed on the spine and stomach area or how? This is something that got me interested and wanting to know about.
Emily says
Recently, I have been hearing a lot of good things about acupuncture. I had no idea that acupuncture could improve the effectiveness of medicines. That is amazing! I wonder if it would work with my prescriptions.
Drew says
I had no idea that acupuncture could treat so many ailments. I have wanted to try it for my headaches for a while now. I think it may finally be time. Thanks so much for sharing the benefits!
jamesrod214 says
That’s so cool that acupuncture can help fight obesity. I didn’t know that there were studies that showed a loss in body weight after acupuncture treatments. I think I’m going to try and incorporate it into my weight loss program. It could be the needed boost that I need!
Drew says
I had no idea that there were so many benefits to acupuncture. It seems to treat just about anything. Thanks so much for sharing.
Kenneth Gladman says
I have suffered from migraines for the last few years. It is literally the worse pain in my life. I am not really familiar with acupuncture, but I appreciate the info. If it can help with the migraines it is worth looking into.
Gary Puntman says
I didn’t know acupuncture could reduce side effects of radiation treatment. That is valuable for many cancer patients to know. My dad has a brain tumor and had to go through radiation. It was very hard on him and caused him headaches and nausea. I wish he would have tried acupuncture to relieve that.
Simon Brooks says
Wow, I had no idea that there were so many ways that acupuncture can actually help the human body, least of all that it could be used to help radiation therapy patients. For personal use though, I’d definitely have to check it out if it can help with headaches like you claim. I tend to get migraines fairly often because of the stress I get at work and I could definitely try anything that would help my body combat them.
Julien says
Acupressure it’s a very good thing for every people. I have some problems with my back and i teste acupressure mat. Now, i feel good. I write a blog tapis-acupression.org and i compare the different acupressure mat ! Come and see it. Hope a good life !