What Can Acupuncture Treat?
The World Health Organization (WHO) shows the following list of conditions which acupuncture has proven effective through clinical trial evidence to treat :
Pain
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Low back pain
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Neck pain
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Knee pain
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Headache
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Facial pain
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Dental/temporomandibular pain
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Periarthritis of the shoulder
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Postoperative pain
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Sciatica
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Sprain/strain
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Tennis elbow
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Rheumatoid arthritis
Gastrointestinal
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Nausea and vomiting
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Morning sickness
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Biliary colic
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Dysentery
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Epigastralgia (peptic ulcer, gastritis, gastrospasm)
Cardiovascular / Neurological
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Hypertension
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Hypotension
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Stroke (rehabilitation)
Psychiatric
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Depression (including post-stroke depression)
Gynecological
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Primary dysmenorrhea
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Induction of labor
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Correction of fetal malposition (breech)
Respiratory
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Allergic rhinitis
Oncology/General
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Adverse reactions to chemo/radiation
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Leukopenia
Evidence based, WHO-Supported with Promising Evidence:
Respiratory
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Asthma
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Whooping cough
ENT / Eye / Mouth
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Eye pain
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Epistaxis (nosebleeds)
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Herpes zoster
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Meniere's disease
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Sore throat
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Sjogren's syndrome
Gastrointestinal
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Cholecystitis
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Cholelithiasis (gallstones)
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Ulcerative colitis
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Hepatitis B carrier status
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Gastrokinetic disturbance
Neurological / Psychiatric
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Anxiety
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Bell's palsy
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Facial spasm
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Neuralgia
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Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
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Dementia
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Tourette syndrome
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Schizophrenia (adjunct)
Pain (additional)
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Cancer pain
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Fibromyalgia
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Osteoarthritis
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Gouty arthritis
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Radicular/spinal pain
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Abdominal pain
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Stiff neck
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TMJ dysfunction
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Tietze syndrome
Skin
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Acne vulgaris
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Neurodermatitis
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Pruritus
Gynecological / Urological
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Female infertility
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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
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Premenstrual syndrome
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Overactive bladder
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Labor pain
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Urinary tract infections
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Hypoovarianism
Male Urological / Sexual
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Prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome
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Urinary retention
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Urolithiasis (kidney stones)
Cardiovascular
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Raynaud's syndrome
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Hyperlipidemia
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Cardiac neurosis
General / Systemic
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Insomnia
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Obesity
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Diabetes (non-insulin dependent)
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Alcohol, opium, cocaine, heroin dependence
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Tobacco dependence
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Lactation deficiency
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Postoperative convalescence
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Craniocerebral injury
The Acupuncture Evidence Project reviewed 122 treatments across 14 clinical areas and found some evidence of effect for 117 conditions total. The research base has grown to over 13,000 studies across 60 countries. The breadth is genuinely remarkable, and the strongest, most defensible claims remain in the pain, headache, nausea, mental health, and women's health categories.
