#AcupunctureAwarenessWeek2023
Many people want to know, ‘Does acupuncture work? How does acupuncture work?’
Research and evidence are vital in order to increase awareness of acupuncture’s effectiveness and to ensure a wider acceptance of its use within our healthcare system.
For many years, there was a lack of good quality research into acupuncture. This made it difficult for scientists to evaluate the potential benefits of acupuncture. The situation is beginning to change and, in the last couple of decades, high-quality large-scale clinical trials have been conducted and the evidence base for acupuncture is now growing. This has resulted in a large, systematic review of over 20,000 patients by an international team of researchers and we can now be confident that those suffering from back pain, osteoarthritis and headache can benefit from a course of acupuncture [1].
As more research is conducted, the evidence-base for other conditions is growing. There is now evidence of a potential positive for conditions such as depression, irritable bowel syndrome, menopausal hot flushes, allergic rhinitis, asthma and cancer related fatigue [2].
Currently National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) recommends acupuncture for treatment of primary chronic pain, tension type headaches and migraines. But acupuncture is also used by those with other musculoskeletal pain, digestive and women’s health issues, as well as mental health conditions, with clinical evidence on its effectiveness emerging all the time.
ARRC Symposium
Our annual research symposium coincides with The BAcC Annual Conference. It aims to serve registered acupuncturists and others by providing good quality information on research into acupuncture. Offering solely research-based content, the event also provides an opportunity for BAcC funded research to be presented. Each year, we welcome a host of wonderful speakers, many of whom are BAcC members and this year is no different.
Understanding the research
Understanding and interpreting research can be difficult – there are specific challenges when researching physical therapies such as acupuncture. If you are not familiar with the debates regarding acupuncture research, we would recommend you visit the research pages on our website to read more on this subject.
Helpful resources
This report introduces how acupuncture is being used to meet the healthcare challenge of today, offering real world examples of projects that support people with a wide variety of conditions, including evidence for safety and clinical effectiveness.
Our ‘Evidence A-Z’ factsheets on the BAcC website have been produced to provide accurate and unbiased general information for a variety of conditions.
Whether you’re an acupuncture practitioner, researcher or student, doctor or other type of healthcare practitioner, or maybe even a curious patient, the Acutrack team discusses all the latest evidence and research in the field of acupuncture. Speaking to some of the world’s leading experts, many of whom are BAcC members, this podcast talks about the latest studies and the most exciting new findings. Curious to understand how acupuncture works? Well look/listen no further.. check out Episode #5 with Mel Hopper Koppelman.
Further resources
· Cochrane Library https://www.cochranelibrary.com/search?cookiesEnabled
· John Hopkins University https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/acupuncture
· The evidence map of acupuncture https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK185072/
· Evidence-based acupuncture https://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/
· The Acupuncture Evidence Project https://www.acupuncture.org.au/resources/publications/the-acupuncture-evidence-project
Acupuncture Awareness Week 2023
March 2023
References
[1] A.J. Vickers, E.A. Vertosick, G. Lewith, H. MacPherson, N.E. Foster, K.J. Sherman, D. Irnich, C.M. Witt, K. Linde, C. Acupuncture Trialists, Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis, J Pain 19(5) (2018) 455-474.
[2] J. McDonald, S. Janz, The Acupuncture Evidence Project: A Comparative Literature Review, Australian Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Association LTD, 2017.
