This article from evidencebasedacupuncture.org is indispensable for understanding the scientific evidence for acupuncture treatment of pain in context. Although not a medical journal, EBA always cites high quality evidentiary sources for every claim.
Key points of the article:
- Opioids, in addition to their dangers, are often ineffective, and may make pain conditions worse over time.
- Even short-term use of NSAIDS (e.g. Tylenol and Advil) is associated with increased risk of heart attacks and GI complaints.
- The body of evidence for acupuncture’s effectiveness in treating both acute and chronic pain is robust by any measure.
- Pain relief from acupuncture has been shown to be long-lasting.
