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The United States has been slow to appreciate the potential health and economic benefits of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and the other disciplines that comprise Chinese traditional medicine. This is not the case in the rest of the world. The U.S. National Institute of Health only acknowledges acupuncture to be effective for two conditions and gives a dozen others for which it may be useful adjunctive therapy. To its credit it has increased funding for research in acupuncture and there are a number of interesting studies underway. Chinese herbal medicine, on the other hand, does not seem to be even a consideration for them.
Meanwhile, in Asia and Europe there is very interesting work being done on all the disciplines of Chinese traditional medicine. The World Health Organization considers that acupuncture has proven its effectiveness for nearly 30 conditions and that substantial evidence exists showing its effectiveness for over 60 others.
Unfortunately for English speakers, much of the research being done abroad is relatively inaccessible. Much of the content on these pages is drawn from two excellent English language journals. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine publishes research papers on studies done primarily in China, Japan and Korea. The Journal of Chinese Medicine always includes a fascinating roundup of research being done around the globe.
A Hong Kong hospital studied the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating allergic rhinitis in children. Half of the patients received acupuncture and the other half received a "sham acupuncture" treatment in which the needles were not placed in acupuncture points. The group receiving the true acupuncture showed significantly lower daily rhinitis scores and more symptom free days than the sham group, as well as showing much better immediate improvement after treatments. (Pediatrics. 114(5):1242-7, 2004)
Return to topA European study of 52 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis gave acupuncture and a specific Chinese herbal formula to one group while giving acupuncture in non-points with a non-specific herbal formula to the other group. Improvement on the Global Assessment of Change scale was noted in 85% of active group patients compared to 40% of the control group. (Allergy. 59(9):953-960, 2004)
Return to topTwo recently published studies in mainstream medical journals have confirmed the effectiveness of acupuncture in reducing pain and improving knee function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. One study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in December 2004 was the largest and longest randomized, controlled clinic trial of acupuncture ever conducted involving 570 patients and conducted by USNIH organizations. Another smaller Spanish study, published in the BMJ, confirms the benefits of reduced stiffness and pain and improved function and quality of life.
A study of 211 children with mild intermittent asthma was conducted by the University of Michigan and the Beijing Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Research Center. The study compared Chinese Herbal Medicine treatment with Western Medicine treatment. Kids taking Western Medicine were three times as likely to make hospital emergency visits, five times as likely to use bronchodilators, and twice as likely to report symptoms as compared to the kids taking Chinese herbs.
Return to topA study at the American College of Sports Medicine compared the effects of to standard exercises and stretching for 256 healthy adults of 70-92 years of age. The group showed significantly greater functional balance and reduced risk of falls when compared to the control group. (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 36(12):2046-2052
Return to topEighty-two women who had received conventional treatment for breast cancer took daily doses of two Chinese herbs (yun zhi and dan shen) for six months. Blood samples showed significant increases in immunological function, including increases in absolute counts of B-lymphocytes and T-helper lymphocytes. (American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 33(3): 381-395, 2005)
Return to topA German study of over 15,000 patients with chronic migraine or tension headaches showed that acupuncture significantly reduces the frequency of headaches and increases quality of life. The patients in the study received 15 treatments over 3 months. Migraine patients and tension headache patients showed the same improvement. (11th Annual Symposium on Complementary Health Care 2004)
Return to topResearchers at Kyung-Hee University in Korea studied the effectiveness of a standard Chinese herbal formula (qing xue dan) in reducing blood pressure in hospitalized stroke patients with stage I hypertension. After two weeks the group receiving the herbs saw a reduction from an average 141/83 to 132/83, while the control group saw no significant reduction. (American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 33(3): 357-364, 2005)
Return to topIn this study of 118 people over 60 with moderate sleep complaints, one group did while the other did conventional low-impact exercises, deep breathing and relaxation exercises. Both were done one hour three times a week for 24 weeks. The group saw an average increase of 48 minutes of sleep per night, and reduced the amount of time to fall asleep by 18 minutes. The control group saw no significant improvement in these areas. The group also showed improvement in sleep quality and daytime functioning, neither of which were evidenced in the control group. (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 52: 892-900, 2004)
Return to topA recent German study published in the February, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology confirms that acupuncture can relieve a woman of her menstrual pain. In the study, 201 women were randomly assigned to acupuncture or no treatment for menstrual pain, severe cramps and discomfort. The majority of patients receiving acupuncture reported at least a 33 percent improvement in their pain level.
It was observed that after three months of treatment the average pain score was 3.1 in the acupuncture group, compared with 5.4 in the control group, using a pain scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst pain. The treatment included an average of about 10 sessions. Source: AcuFinder.com and American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Volume 198, Issue 2, Pages 166.e1-166.e8 (February 2008)
Return to topA Scandinavian study of 72 women showed that acupuncture was 60% effective at reducing back pain and pelvic pain experienced during 24-37th week of pregnancy. Treatment was given five times over three weeks, with continuing weekly treatments in some cases.(Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. 83(3): 246-50, 2004)
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