Acupuncture: Are You Missing the Point?

Do you have minor aches and pains that have troubled you for years, or a nagging health condition from which you've yet to find relief? After you've exhausted the more traditional options, you just might feel like exploring complementary healing practices such as acupuncture.

No doubt you've heard stories that piqued your curiosity. "Spending 30 minutes with my acupuncturist cleared up 20 years of congestion." "After 1 month, my neck pain was gone." "It's what got me through chemo."

Anecdotal evidence is the norm with acupuncture because thousands of people have tried it, but very few scientifically valid studies have evaluated its effectiveness.

Now, with interest in complementary medicine on the rise, scientific studies on acupuncture are finally trickling in.

So what does the research say? Does acupuncture really work, or is it pointless? Answer the following question for insight.

Q: For which of the following ailments did a U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) panel find clear evidence supporting acupuncture's effectiveness?

A. postoperative nausea and vomiting
B. headache
C. carpel tunnel syndrome
D. addiction
E. asthma

The correct answer is: A. postoperative nausea and vomiting

Because so little conclusive research exists on the topic, the panel found a relatively small number of conditions and symptoms for which acupuncture may be useful, and then only when used in combination with conventional treatments. Better studies may be coming, but for now the NIH's exacting standards and a paucity of good research has resulted in a short list of proven applications for acupuncture.

The World Health Organization (WHO), a health association with members from around the world, offers a longer list of diseases, symptoms, and conditions for which acupuncture treatment may be effective.

Research continues in this area of complementary medicine, but in the meantime, why is the NIH list so short? The answer may lie in a look at East versus West.