Acupuncture is a recognized practice in several countries as part of Integrative medicine. Nowadays, it's a treatment offered in numerous clinics to address problems relating to bodily pains, mental health problems and more. In this blog we will discuss 5 benefits of acupuncture.
Brief Introduction on acupuncture.
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice that revolves around the belief of Yin and Yang and that the human body contains ‘qi’. This ‘qi’ flows through meridians and can have blockages, stagnation and imbalances, which is believed to be the source of bodily pains and other issues. Thus, to address these issues, acupuncture needles are inserted in specific (acu)points of the body to stimulate the qi and restore the yin & yang balance.
Managing Bodily Pains or Chronic Pains
Acupuncture is most popularly known to help manage pain or chronic conditions such as lower back pain, neck pain, etc. However, while there continues to be doubts about its effectiveness, a large analysis conducted by Vickers et Al (2018) combined data from 29 randomized clinic trials with nearly 18,000 participants suggests positive results. The analysis concludes that acupuncture reduces pain compared to trials that use sham acupuncture or none at all throughout different pain conditions. A more recent study in 2025 suggested similar results upon conducting a randomized trial among 800 participants aged 65 and older with lower back pain. The study concluded that participants experienced better improvements in lower back pain than those with only taking medical care alone and its benefits were maintained from 6-12 months. Moreover, it was viewed that compared to other treatments, acupuncture was considered low risk. While these results continue to be positive and somewhat consistent. They do not claim that acupuncture is the cure. Instead, the studies suggest that acupuncture may improve and reduce chronic pain. Which is the reason as to why acupuncture is always treated as a complementary treatment rather than a replacement.
Relieving Headaches & Migraines
Another common condition many people experience in their day-to-day lives is headaches and migraines. Research into acupuncture for headaches is ongoing, and while results vary depending on the type of headache, current evidence suggests it may help reduce the frequency of certain headaches, particularly tension-type headaches. A Cochrane review of randomized clinical trials published in 2009 concluded that acupuncture could be a valuable non-pharmacological treatment option for people with frequent episodic or chronic tension-type headaches. Although the improvements compared with sham acupuncture were modest, they remained statistically significant. Thus, acupuncture could still be an option to potentially ease headaches and migraines.
May Improve Sleep Quality
If you have troubles sleeping or maintaining sleep, acupuncture is yet another treatment offered to help improve sleep. As sleep quality is often linked to mental troubles, it's common to treat them together. A study published by sleep medicine discusses a randomized trial and its effects with acupuncture. The trial had two control groups, one which received the actual acupuncture and the other had a sham acupuncture treatment. Based on the study, it suggests significant improvement in insomnia, sleep efficiency, sleep time and depressive symptoms with those who had the actual acupuncture treatment. Moreover, to maximize the effects of acupuncture it is often paired with creating better sleep habits as well.
Reduce Nausea and vomiting
For those experiencing frequent symptoms of nausea and vomiting, a complementary treatment worth considering is also acupuncture. A study published in 2024, recently conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 24 randomized trials with pregnant women. It suggests that acupuncture combined with regular treatment may improve pregnancy related nausea and vomiting. However, studies regarding this continue to be limited. Instead, it's better to treat acupuncture as a potential reliever rather than the cure for nausea and vomiting.
Improve osteoarthritis
For an older demographic, a potential problem may arise could be osteoarthritis, a common form of arthritis. As of late, recent studies are beginning to include acupuncture as a valuable option to consider to improve pain and joint function. For instance, a 2024 systematic review by Chen, Shi, Gao, and colleagues analyzed data from 10 randomized controlled trials involving 3,221 participants. The review found that acupuncture may help reduce pain and improve joint function, particularly in people with knee osteoarthritis. Moreover, the authors noted that acupuncture may be a valuable non-pharmacological treatment option, especially for people who wish to avoid or reduce their use of medication.
Takeaways
Acupuncture throughout all studies is considered a relatively safe treatment as its adverse risks are significantly low compared to others. Moreover, the studies mentioned suggest that acupuncture generally has a positive effect and people can still reap its benefits. However, while this is the case, it's important to note, no studies have claimed that acupuncture replaces medical treatment. Instead, to fully benefit from acupuncture, it's better to view it as a complementary treatment, and to find out its effect, is really to give it a try with an open mind. Now that you know its top 5 benefits, we hope that acupuncture can be an option for you in the future.
Sources:
Chen, H., Shi, H., Gao, S., Fang, J., Yi, J., Wu, W., Liu, X., & Liu, Z. (2024). Durable effects of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 28, 709–722. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-024-01242-6
Linde, K., Allais, G., Brinkhaus, B., Manheimer, E., Vickers, A., & White, A. R. (2009). Acupuncture for tension-type headache. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (1), CD007587. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007587
Jin B, Han Y, Jiang Y, et al. Acupuncture for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2024;85:103079. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2024.103079
DeBar, L. L., Wellman, R. D., Justice, M., Avins, A. L., Beyrouty, M., Eng, C. M., Herman, P. M., Nielsen, A., Pressman, A., Stone, K. L., Teets, R. Y., & Cook, A. J. (2025). Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older adults: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open, 8(9), e2531348. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.31348
Yin, X., Gou, M., Xu, J., Dong, B., Yin, P., Masquelin, F., Wu, J., Lao, L., & Xu, S. Efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment on primary insomnia: A randomized controlled trial. Sleep Medicine, 37, 193–200 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2017.02.012
Vickers, A. J., Vertosick, E. A., Lewith, G., MacPherson, H., Foster, N. E., Sherman, K. J., Irnich, D., Witt, C. M., Linde, K., & Acupuncture Trialists' Collaboration. (2018). Acupuncture for chronic pain: Update of an individual patient data meta-analysis. The Journal of Pain, 19(5), 455–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005