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 (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Acupuncture (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Acupuncture (Boston Children's Hospital)
• Acupuncture (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Chronic Pain and Complementary Health Approaches (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: Effect of acupuncture treatment for patients with knee osteoarthritis on brain...
• Article: Efficacy and Safety of Warm Acupuncture Compared to Gabapentin for Pain...
• Article: Effectiveness and Safety of Pharmacopuncture Therapy Compared to Standard Physical Therapy...
• Acupuncture -- see more articles