Acupuncture

Summary

Acupuncture has been practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. Acupuncture involves stimulating specific points on the body. This is most often done by inserting thin needles through the skin, to cause a change in the physical functions of the body.

Research has shown that acupuncture reduces nausea and vomiting after surgery and chemotherapy. It can also relieve pain. Researchers don't fully understand how acupuncture works. It might aid the activity of your body's pain-killing chemicals. It also might affect how you release chemicals that regulate blood pressure and flow.

NIH: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Learn More

• 6 Things to Know When Selecting a Complementary Health Practitioner (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health) Also in Spanish
• Acupuncture (Nemours Foundation)
• Acupuncture (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Acupuncture (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Acupuncture (Boston Children's Hospital)
• Acupuncture: What You Need to Know (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Find a NCCAOM Certified Practitioner (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine)
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
• Paying for Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Acupuncture Therapy (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Impact of Baseline Expectancy on Outcome Prediction of Real and Sham...
• Article: Effects of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise combined with acupuncture on attention function...
• Article: Long-term efficacy of point application therapy on different acupoints and durations...
• Acupuncture -- see more articles