Conditions Benefiting from Acupuncture

New studies proving the efficacy of acupuncture are published regularly. If the condition or health concern for which you are seeking treatment does not appear here, this does not mean that acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine will not benefit you.

If you have any questions about the health benefits of acupuncture, please feel to contact Mar Vista Center for Acupuncture for assistance or to set up an appointment for a treatment or a free consultation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine as effective in treating a wide range of common illnesses including, but not limited to:

  • common cold
  • influenza
  • allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
  • acute sinusitis
  • acute rhinitis
  • sore throat (including tonsillitis)
  • upper respiratory tract infection
  • acute bronchitis
  • bronchial asthma (most effective in children and uncomplicated conditions)
  • emphysema

  • hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • hypotension (low blood pressure)
  • angina pectoris
  • arteriosclerosis
  • anemia
  • hyperlipidemia

  • hiccough
  • abdominal pain
  • nausea & vomiting
  • morning sickness
  • acute chronic gastritis
  • gastric hyperacidity (acid reflux)
  • gastrokinetic disturbance
  • peptic ulcer (pain relief)
  • chronic duodenal ulcer (pain relief)
  • acute duodenal ulcer (without complications)
  • cholecystitis, chronic, with acute exacerbation
  • cholelithiasis
  • biliary colic
  • constipation
  • diarrhea
  • irritable bowel syndrome (ibs)
  • ulcerative colitis
  • acute bacillary dysentery

  • premenstrual syndrome (pms)
  • dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps & pain)
  • spotting & excessive menstrual bleeding
  • amenorrhea (loss of menstrual period)
  • polycystic ovary syndrome
  • infertility
  • malposition of fetus (correction of)
  • induction of labor
  • labor pain
  • lactation (deficiency)

  • female urethral syndrome
  • retention of urine
  • incontinence
  • urinary tract infections
  • sexual dysfunction
  • urolithiasis
  • prostatitis
  • impotence
  • infertility (male & female)

  • depression
  • anxiety
  • schizophrenia
  • stress
  • insomnia

  • acne vulbaris
  • pruritis
  • neurodermatitis

  • diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent
  • obesity

  • alcohol
  • nicotine & tobacco
  • food
  • drugs (cocaine, heroin, opium)

  • headache & migraine
  • meniere’s disease
  • insomnia
  • dizziness
  • bell’s palsy
  • facial spasm
  • facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
  • dental pain
  • spine pain
  • stiff neck
  • temporomendibular joint dysfunction
  • radicular & pseudoradicular pain syndrome
  • frozen shoulder
  • neck pain
  • shoulder pain
  • periarthritis of shoulder
  • tennis elbow
  • carpal tunnel syndrome
  • sciatica
  • low back pain
  • osteoarthritis
  • knee pain
  • sprains
  • neurogenic bladder dysfunction
  • nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting)
  • trigeminal neuralgias
  • pareses (following a stroke)
  • peripheral neuropathies
  • osteoarthritis
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • gouty arthritis
  • postoperative pain
  • fibromyalgia
  • fasciitis
  • chronic fatigue syndrome

  • herpes zoster (shingles)
  • neuralgia (pain after shingles)
  • renal colic
  • adverse reactions to radiotherapy &/or chemotherapy
  • cancer pain
  • postoperative convalescence
  • reynaud syndrome
  • sjogren syndrome
  • tourette syndrome

A world health organization interregional seminar on acupuncture, moxibustion, and acupuncture anesthesia was held in Beijing, China in June 1979. In 1996, a further who consultation on acupuncture was held in Cervia, Italy.

The participants in these World Health Organization seminars drew up the above list of diseases that lend themselves to acupuncture treatment. The list is based on clinical experience, and not necessarily on controlled clinical research. The inclusion of specific diseases is not meant to indicate the extent of acupuncture’s efficacy in treatment, since all conditions may vary in severity and response.

Sources:
World Health Organization. viewpoint on acupuncture, 1979.
World Health Organization. Acupuncture: review and analysis of reports on controlled clinical trials, 1996.

If you have any questions about how acupuncture can benefit your health please feel free to contact Mar Vista Center for Acupuncture for assistance or to set up an appointment for a treatment or a free consultation.