Indications of Acupuncture

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American National Institutes of Health (NIH), based on a series of clinical trials designed with strict methodological criteria, published a list of indications of Medical Acupuncture, which has also been accepted by IASP (International Association for the Study of Pain).

 

Diseases, symptoms and conditions for which acupuncture has been proved effective with controlled, clinical trials are:

 

• Stroke
• Headache (including migraine)
• Facial pain (including trigeminal neuralgia and temporomandibular joint disorders)
• Toothache
• Neck pain
• Low back pain
• Sciatica
• Knee pain
• Sprain pain
• Shoulder periarthritis
• Epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Post-operative pain
• Epigatric pain (peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis)
• Renal colic
• Biliary colic
• Dysmenorrhea
• Chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-induced side effects
• Nausea and vomiting
• Morning sickness
• Leukopenia
• Allergic rhinitis
• Hypertension
• Hypotension
• Correction of the fetal position
• Induction of labor
• Depression

Acupuncture is particularly effective in many other disorders, according to the World Health Organization, that can be classified as follows:

Respiratory diseases
Acute sinusitis
Acute rhinitis
Common cold
Acute bronchitis
Bronchial asthma
Bronchial hyperreactivity
Allergies

Oral cavity diseases
Toothache
Gingivitis
Acute pharyngitis
Chronic pharyngitis
Acute tonsillitis

Gastrointestinal diseases
Esophageal spasm
Hiccups
Acute and chronic gastritis
Overactive stomach
Chronic duodenal ulcer
Acute duodenal ulcer
Acute and chronic colitis
Constipation, Diarrhea

Musculoskeletal diseases

Cervico-humeral syndrome
Shoulder periarthritis
Frozen shoulder
Epicondylitis
Backache
Sciatica
Osteoarthritis

Neurological diseases

Headaches – Migraine
Trigeminal neuralgia
Facial palsy
Post-stroke paresis
Meniere’s syndrome
Neurogenic bladder
Nocturnal enuresis

Psychosomatic diseases

Insomnia

Depression

Stress

Melancholy
Addictions (smoking, alcohol)

Urogenital diseases

Infertility

Premature ejaculation

Erectile dysfunction

Menstrual irregularities

and menopause

Skin diseases

Psoriasis

Acne

Shingles (herpes zoster)

Cosmetic medicine

Wrinkles

Cellulite

Lipolysis

Obesity

Acupuncture is not a panacea. It is applied alone or combined with other modern therapeutic-diagnostic techniques. The specialist physician knows the limits and the effectiveness of each treatment applied and can advise the patients accordingly.