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Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of needles in the body. Its proponents variously claim that it relieves pain, treats infertility, treats disease, prevents disease, or promotes general health. The earliest written record of acupuncture is found in the Huangdi Neijing (黄帝内经; translated as The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), dated approximately 200 BCE. Acupuncture typically incorporates traditional Chinese medicine as an integral part of its practice and theory. However, many practitioners consider 'Traditional Chinese Medicine' (TCM) to narrowly refer to modern mainland Chinese practice. Acupuncture in Japan and Korea, and to a certain extent Taiwan, diverged from mainland China in theory and practice. In European countries such as the UK almost half the practitioners follow these non-TCM practices. The most notable difference is that these other approaches often are primarily acupuncture, and do not incorporate Chinese herbal medicine. The term “acupuncture” is sometimes used to refer to insertion of needles at points other than traditional ones, or to applying an electric current to needles in acupuncture points. Different variations of acupuncture are practiced and taught throughout the world.

The evidence for acupuncture's effectiveness for anything but the relief of some types of pain and nausea has not been established. In the case of nausea, systematic reviews have concluded that stimulation of one particular point (with acupuncture, acupressure and other methods) is as effective as antiemetic medications in the reduction of post-operative nausea and vomiting, relative to a sham treatment. Although evidence exists for a very small and short-lived effect on some types of pain, several review articles discussing the effectiveness of acupuncture have concluded it is a placebo effect. A 2011 review of review articles concluded that, except for neck pain, acupuncture was of doubtful efficacy in the treatment of pain and accompanied by small but serious risks and adverse effects including death, particularly when performed by untrained practitioners. There is general agreement that acupuncture is safe when administered by well-trained practitioners using sterile needles.

Evidence for the treatment of other conditions is equivocal. There is no anatomical or scientific evidence for the existence of qi or meridians, concepts central to acupuncture.