Acupuncture is an appropriate and effective method of treating many physical and emotional complaints. Two reports, one from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1996 and the other by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1997, list health conditions for which acupuncture is an effective treatment. Below is a partial summary.
- Pain: headache, knee pain, low back pain, neck pain, periarthritis of shoulder, radicular (nerve) pain, sciatica, temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), myofascial pain, post-operative pain, dental pain, abdominal pain, cancer pain, earache
- Injury (sports injury, repetitive strain injury, traumatic injury): sprain, stiff neck, tennis elbow/epicondylitis
- Fibromyalgia and fasciitis
- Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Gouty arthritis
- Asthma, allergic rhinitis (including hay fever), sore throat
- OBGYN complaints (dysmenorrhea, malposition of fetus, morning sickness, PMS, polycystic ovary syndrome, recurrent lower urinary-tract infection, female infertility, lactation deficiency)
- Male sexual dysfunction, chronic prostatitis
- Digestive/gastrointestinal complaints (gastritis, gastrospasm, nausea, vomit, dysentery, colitis)
- Dermatological complaints (acne, neurodermatitis, herpes zoster/shingles)
- Depression, insomnia
- Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin-dependent), obesity, hyperlipaemia, hypertension, hypotension
- Cholecystitis (chronic), gallstones, kidney stones, bladder stones, urinary tract stones
- Reactions to radiotherapy and chemotherapy
- Addiction/detoxification (alcohol, tobacco, drugs)
- Raynaud syndrome