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Acupuncture research
Traditional acupuncture's greatest strength is that it treats each patient individually. It focuses on all
factors that contribute to disease, not just the presenting symptoms. Consequently, traditional acupuncture does not neatly fit the
prevalent research protocols that have been developed in response to symptom-based treatments.
Although traditional acupuncture
has been studied, tested and refined for centuries in China, until recently, huge databases of research have remained largely inaccessible
outside the Far East. However as new research begins to provide quantifiable evidence of traditional acupuncture's efficacy and cost-effectiveness
the body of evidence available internationally is growing rapidly.
The following is a small selection of quality research
detailing the effectiveness of acupuncture for specific conditions:
Back pain 
Note: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
Note: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence(NICE) now recommends that acupuncture be made available on the NHS
for chronic lower back pain
The
World Health Organisation
The World Health Organisation (WHO) provides the following report listing many diseases, symptoms or conditions
for which acupuncture has been proved through controlled trials to be an effective treatment. The summary of this report can
be viewed here: http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js4926e/5.html or you can download the full report here:
Some of the above information is sourced from the Acupuncture Research Resource Centre (ARRC) which provides
a specialist resource for acupuncture research. ARRC was set up by the British Acupuncture Council in 1994 and is currently
hosted by the Centre for Complementary Healthcare and Integrated Medicine (CCHIM) at Thames Valley University. You can find out more
here: www.acupuncture.org.uk