The Acupuncture Evidence Project

The Acupuncture Evidence Project is a Comparative Literature Review of acupuncture research in 2017.

The study found evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture for 117 conditions.  There was strong evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture for 8 conditions, moderate evidence supported the use of acupuncture for  38 conditions and weak positive/unclear evidence of acupuncture for 71 conditions, and little or no evidence was found for the effectiveness of acupuncture for five conditions.

The 8 conditions rated as “evidence of positive effect”  include:

• Migraine prophylaxis
• Headache (chronic tension-type and chronic episodic)
• Low back pain
• Knee osteoarthritis pain
• Allergic rhinitis (seasonal and perennial/persistent)
• Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
• Post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV)
• Post-operative pain

Conditions with moderate evidence supporting effectiveness;

– Acute low back pain – Modulating sensory perception thresholds
– Acute stroke – Neck pain
– Ambulatory anaesthesia – Obesity
– Anxiety – Perimenopausal & postmenopausal insomnia
– Aromatase-inhibitor-induced arthralgia – Plantar heel pain
– Asthma in adults – Post-stroke insomnia
– Back or pelvic pain during pregnancy – Post-stroke shoulder pain
– Cancer pain – Post-stroke spasticity
– Cancer-related fatigue – Post-traumatic stress disorder
– Constipation – Prostatitis pain/chronic pelvic pain syndrome
– Craniotomy anaesthesia – Recovery after colorectal cancer resection
– Depression (with antidepressants) – Restless leg syndrome
– Dry eye – Schizophrenia (with antipsychotics)
– Hypertension (with medication) – Sciatica
– Insomnia – Shoulder impingement syndrome (early stage)
(with exercise)
– Irritable bowel syndrome – Shoulder pain
– Labour pain – Smoking cessation (up to 3 months)
– Lateral elbow pain – Stroke rehabilitation
– Menopausal hot flushes – Temporomandibular pain

Conditions with positive/ Unclear evidence;

– Acupuncture in Emergency Department
– Acute ankle sprain in adults
– Alzheiŵeƌ͛s disease
– Angina pectoris
– Assisted conception in ART
– Asthma in children
– Atopic dermatitis
– Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
– Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
– Bell͛s palsLJ
– Bladder pain syndrome
– Cancer-related insomnia
– Cancer-related psychological symptoms
– Carpal tunnel syndrome
– Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
– Chronic fatigue syndrome
– Chronic kidney disease
– Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
– Chronic urinary retention due to spinal cord injury
– Chronic urticaria
– Dysmenorrhoea
– Dyspepsia in diabetic gastroparesis (DGP)
– Erectile dysfunction
– Exercise performance & post-exercise recovery
– Fatigue in systemic lupus erythematosus
– Fibromyalgia
– Functional dyspepsia
– Gag reflex in dentistry
– Glaucoma
– Heart failure
– Hot flushes in breast cancer
– Hyperemesis gravidarum
– Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in neonates
– Induction of labour
– Inflammatory bowel disease
– Itch
– Lumbar spinal stenosis
– Melasma
– MeŶieƌe͛s disease/sLJndrome
– Menopausal syndrome
– Multiple sclerosis
– Mumps in children
– Myelosuppression after chemotherapy
– Oocyte retrieval pain relief
– Opiate addiction
– Opioid detoxification
– PaƌkiŶsoŶ͛s disease
– Polycystic ovarian syndrome
– Poor sperm quality
– Postnatal depression
– Postoperative gastroparesis syndrome (PGS)
– Postoperative ileus
– Post-stroke hiccoughs
– Premenstrual syndrome
– Primary ovarian insufficiency
– PƌiŵaƌLJ SjogƌeŶ͛s sLJŶdƌoŵe
– Psoriasis vulgaris
– Rheumatoid arthritis Slowing progression of
myopia
– Spinal cord injury
– Stress urinary incontinence in adults
– Sudden sensorineural hearing loss
– Surgery analgesia
– Tinnitus
– Traumatic brain injury
– Urinary incontinence
– Uterine fibroids
– Vascular cognitive impairment without dementia
– Vascular dementia
– Whiplash associated disorder (WAD)
– Xerostomia in cancer

Acupuncture is also considered safe in the hands of a well-trained practitioner and has been found to be cost effective for some conditions.

The Summary

Find the Acupuncture Evidence Project Summary here. This is useful for public education. Acupuncture Evidence Project Summary

The Complete Review

Find the complete Acupuncture Evidence Project here. Acupuncture Evidence Project Complete Review