Numerous studies have concluded that Eastern medicine is both safe and effective.

Medical researchers are beginning to develop a scientific understanding of how Eastern medicine works. According to the Mayo Clinic, “many practitioners view the acupuncture points as places to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue. This stimulation appears to boost the activity of your body’s natural painkillers and increase blood flow.”

Researchers have also discovered what they call “trigger points” — taut nodules that develop within muscle and transmit pain from one area of the body to another. Dr. Jay P. Shah at the National Institute of Health has said that these trigger points have “a remarkable correspondence with acupuncture meridians in Chinese medicine.”

Though the exact mechanisms of Eastern medicine are still under study, there is a large and growing body of medical research indicating that it is highly effective. In 1997, the National Institute of Health conducted a review of the research on date on acupuncture, concluding that it should be included in a comprehensive health care system:

“…promising results have emerged, for example, showing efficacy of acupuncture in adult postoperative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in postoperative dental pain. There are other situations such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma, in which acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program. Further research is likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture interventions will be useful.”

Articles

For more on how Eastern medicine works:

• Status and Future of Acupuncture Mechanism Research, Vitaly Napadow, professor at Harvard Medical School and licensed acupuncturist
• Adenosine is Key to Acupuncture’s Effectiveness, Nature Neuroscience

For more on how Eastern medicine can be effective for specific conditions:

• Allergies:
  Acupuncture Pins Down Allergy Relief, Fox News
• Arthritis:
  Study Says Acupuncture Eases Arthritis Pain, Washington Post
  Acupuncture Relieves Pain and Improves Function, NIH
  What to Ask About Osteoarthritis, New York Times
• Body Pain:
  Efficacy of Acupuncture for Chronic Shoulder Pain, JACM
  Acupuncture Works for Back Pain, USA Today
  Acupressure Good for Back Pain, BBC
  Ear Acupuncture for Back Pain During Pregnancy Dr. Weil
  Nerves Tangle, and Back Pain Becomes a Toothache New York Times
• Cancer:
  Acupuncture May Help Ease Hot Flashes, WebMD
  Acupuncture Reduces Vasomotor Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients, Medscape
• Depression:
  Fighting Depression with Needles and Herbs, CNN 
  Acupuncture Helps Depression Symptoms During Pregnancy, Stanford
• Headaches:
  Regimens: Acupuncture Provides Headache Relief, New York Times
  Acupuncture Beats Headaches, The Guardian
  Acupuncture Beats Aspirin for Chronic Headache, Reuters
• Infertility:
  Acupuncture Boosts IVF Success, BBC
  Acupuncture: A Cure for Infertility?, Fox News
• Insomnia:
  Treating Insomnia, Emotional Disorders and ADHD with Acupuncture, Acupuncture Today
• Weight Management:
  Acupuncture For The Treatment Of Obesity Nature

 
 

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