I often hear people, including medical professionals, tell me that there is not a lot of scientific research to demonstrate the effectiveness of acupuncture. Therefore, I would like to take a closer look at that notion and discuss the Science of Acupuncture.
Acceptance
Acupuncture is an ancient healing art, but it’s also a widely accepted treatment and is encouraged and used by many medical institutions. Both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recognize acupuncture as a valid treatment. It’s used for a wide range of conditions and diseases. Furthermore, the United States military uses acupuncture in the field and in all VA hospitals.
Several health care and government organizations including The American College of Physicians (ACP), The Joint Commission, State Attorneys General as well as the White House, have highlighted acupuncture as an effective and first line of treatment. In fact, with the rise of the opioid epidemic in the United States, many doctors are limiting opioid prescriptions in favor of natural medicine.
A Los Angeles Times article reported that 42% of hospitals responding to a survey said they offered complementary and alternative medicine treatments, including acupuncture, as a service to their patients. Penn Medicine conducted their own research study with breast cancer patients that showed promising results.
And that’s not all. According to U.S. News, a growing number of medical schools are supplementing their traditional curriculum with courses in complementary and alternative medicine, including acupuncture.
What does Research say?
If one we’re to say to themselves, “self, let’s look at some medical research”, where would one go to find it? A simple internet search is not generally sufficient, as you will likely get ads, media, websites, etc. I submit that a reputable place to find said research would be the National Institute’s of Health’s National Library of Medicine, PUBMED. PubMed® comprises more than 37 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books.
Consequently, I went to the Pubmed website and completed a search for ‘Acupuncture’.
As of today’s publication, there are 44,969 results, each with a clickable link to the citation of the scientific research literature for that study, meta-study or book. To put that in perspective, I did a search for other medical procedures that are Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) and considered to be well-documented by science.
Medical Procedure Search Results
Tylenol (29,353 results)
Ibuprofen (18,270 results)
Chiropractic (9,984 results)
Kinesiotaping (1,102 results)
CPR (41,361 results)
Tonsillectomy (13,781 results)
Appendectomy (19,040 results)
Evidently, it appears that the science of Acupuncture, with its 44,969 scientific research pieces has earned an important place in Healthcare. Despite the perception of skeptics, people are using acupuncture in record numbers. According to Acupuncture Today, 1 in 10 Americans has used Acupuncture, which is approximately equal to the number of people who receive Chiropractic care in the U.S. Not surprisingly, these numbers mirror our experience at Life Long Wellness, as acupuncture and chiropractic are nearly equal when comparing services performed. Nonetheless, I encourage you to take a look for yourself by completing a search at the Pubmed website. Likewise, you can also get very specific and do a search for any condition you are curious about:
Specific Searches
Depression (2,368 results)
Infertility (453 results)
Anxiety (1656 results)
Insomnia (823 results)
Cancer (3506 results)
Neuropathy (500 results)
In Utah, the state scope of practice for Acupuncture states that “Any Disease or Condition” can be treated with acupuncture. Based on my research and clinical experience, Acupuncture has indeed earned an important place in the natural healthcare niche in the U.S. Feel free to contact our office if you have specific questions. Our doctors love research and welcome the chance to speak with you about your specific needs. Our protocols are built around the science and art of Acupuncture.