Evidence
What systematic reviews and clinical guidelines report for one condition at a time, and what they could not settle.
The following 45 pages are in Evidence.
Evidence pages
Allergic rhinitis
What three meta-analyses, three large trials from Germany and Korea, and the American Academy of Otolaryngology and international rhinology guidelines report on acupuncture for hay fever and year-round allergic rhinitis.
Modern research · Anyone · 6 min
Anxiety
What systematic reviews report on acupuncture for generalised anxiety disorder and for anxiety before surgery, and where the NICE anxiety guideline stands.
Modern research · Anyone · 5 min
Asthma
What the Cochrane review, four later reviews, trials of needling, sham needling and summer herbal plasters, and three guidelines report on acupuncture and point application for chronic asthma in adults and children.
Modern research · Anyone · 10 min
Bell's palsy
What the Cochrane review, two later meta-analyses, a Chinese trial of needle stimulation, a Korean trial for lasting weakness and the American and Japanese guidelines report on acupuncture for Bell's palsy.
Modern research · Anyone · 5 min
Cancer pain
What the Cochrane review, three later meta-analyses, trials in cancer survivors and advanced cancer, and the SIO–ASCO, ESMO and TCM Recs guidelines report on acupuncture for pain in people with cancer.
Modern research · Anyone · 11 min
Cancer-related fatigue
What four systematic reviews, trials of acupuncture and self-acupressure in the UK and the United States, and the 2024 ASCO–SIO guideline report on acupuncture and acupressure for fatigue during and after cancer treatment.
Modern research · Anyone · 9 min
Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy
What three systematic reviews, an umbrella review, trials of acupuncture and electroacupuncture for treating and preventing nerve damage from chemotherapy, and three guidelines from 2020 and 2022 report.
Modern research · Anyone · 8 min
Chronic pain
What the individual patient data meta-analyses, a three-armed trial review and NICE’s chronic primary pain guideline report on acupuncture for chronic pain.
Modern research · Anyone · 7 min
Clinical guidelines
What NICE, the American College of Physicians, WHO, VA/DoD and other guideline bodies say about acupuncture, condition by condition, and why they differ.
Modern research · Anyone · 11 min
Cognitive impairment and dementia
What the Cochrane review of vascular dementia, later reviews against drugs and sham, four trials and NICE's dementia guideline report on acupuncture for mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia.
Modern research · Anyone · 9 min
Constipation
What systematic reviews against sham and drugs, three trials from one Beijing hospital, two reviews of opioid-induced constipation, and three guidelines report on acupuncture and electroacupuncture for chronic constipation.
Modern research · Anyone · 9 min
COPD
What Cochrane's withdrawn breathlessness review, five later reviews, the sham-controlled trials of breathlessness on exertion and walk distance, and the GOLD and NICE guidelines report on acupuncture for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Modern research · Anyone · 9 min
Depression
What the Cochrane review, later meta-analyses, a UK primary care trial, NICE and the Canadian depression guideline report on acupuncture for depression.
Modern research · Anyone · 6 min
Dizziness and vertigo
What systematic reviews, trials and the two American otolaryngology guidelines report on acupuncture for vertigo, cause by cause.
Modern research · Anyone · 8 min
Dry eye disease
What reviews of acupuncture against artificial tears, six trials against sham and eye drops, case reports of injury around the eye, and the TFOS DEWS and American Academy of Ophthalmology reports say about acupuncture for dry eye disease.
Modern research · Anyone · 11 min
Fibromyalgia
What the Cochrane review, later meta-analyses, a Spanish trial and the EULAR and NICE guidelines report on acupuncture for fibromyalgia.
Modern research · Anyone · 6 min
Functional dyspepsia
What the Cochrane review of 7 trials, a 2026 meta-analysis of 23 trials, four trials against sham and drugs, and the American and British gastroenterology guidelines report on acupuncture for functional dyspepsia.
Modern research · Anyone · 8 min
High blood pressure
What the Cochrane review, three later reviews, five trials against sham or other points, and American and British guidance report on acupuncture for essential hypertension.
Modern research · Anyone · 9 min
Hot flushes
What the Cochrane review, trials in women with and without breast cancer, and guideline bodies report on acupuncture for hot flushes.
Modern research · Anyone · 7 min
Insomnia
What the Cochrane review, later meta-analyses, two sham-controlled trials and the European insomnia guideline report on acupuncture for insomnia.
Modern research · Anyone · 7 min
Irritable bowel syndrome
What the Cochrane review of 17 trials, a network meta-analysis, four trials against sham, usual care and drugs, and the NICE and British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines report on acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome.
Modern research · Anyone · 6 min
IVF
What the Cochrane review, the 2018 JAMA trial, later meta-analyses, ESHRE, NICE and the HFEA report on acupuncture alongside IVF.
Modern research · Anyone · 6 min
Knee osteoarthritis
What the Cochrane review, later meta-analyses, two sham-controlled trials and the NICE and American College of Rheumatology guidelines report on acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis.
Modern research · Anyone · 7 min
Labour pain
What the 2020 Cochrane review, the main trials and NICE report on acupuncture and acupressure for pain in labour.
Modern research · Anyone · 7 min
Low back pain
What the Cochrane reviews, three large trials and two guidelines report on acupuncture for low back pain, and why their conclusions differ.
Modern research · Anyone · 8 min
Migraine
What the Cochrane review, the large randomised trials and NICE report on acupuncture to prevent migraine, comparison by comparison.
Modern research · Anyone · 9 min
Nausea after surgery
What four versions of a Cochrane review, two breast surgery trials, a review in children and the fourth consensus guidelines report on stimulating PC6 at the wrist to prevent nausea and vomiting after an operation.
Modern research · Anyone · 6 min
Nausea from chemotherapy
What a withdrawn Cochrane review, a 2023 meta-analysis of 38 trials, two trials and the Society for Integrative Oncology guideline endorsed by ASCO report on acupuncture and acupressure for nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy.
Modern research · Anyone · 6 min
Neck pain
What the withdrawn Cochrane review, later meta-analyses, two large trials and the guidelines report on acupuncture for neck pain.
Modern research · Anyone · 8 min
Obesity and overweight
What systematic reviews, trials of body, ear and catgut-embedding acupuncture, and two guidelines report on acupuncture for obesity and overweight.
Modern research · Anyone · 10 min
Pain after surgery
What systematic reviews, three sham-controlled trials and the American Pain Society guideline report on acupuncture, electroacupuncture, ear acupuncture and acupressure for pain after surgery.
Modern research · Anyone · 8 min
Parkinson's disease
What systematic reviews, five sham-controlled trials of sleep, anxiety, constipation and fatigue, NICE and the Movement Disorder Society report on acupuncture in Parkinson's disease.
Modern research · Anyone · 8 min
Period pain
What the Cochrane review, later meta-analyses and the main trials report on acupuncture and acupressure for primary dysmenorrhoea.
Modern research · Anyone · 8 min
Polycystic ovary syndrome
What the Cochrane review, later reviews, sham-controlled and drug-controlled trials, and the 2023 international guideline report on acupuncture for ovulation, live birth, periods and insulin resistance in PCOS.
Modern research · Anyone · 9 min
Postoperative ileus
What five systematic reviews, seven trials against sham, usual care and standard care, and the 2025 ERAS colorectal guideline report on acupuncture for the recovery of bowel function after abdominal surgery.
Modern research · Anyone · 9 min
Rheumatoid arthritis
What the Cochrane review, seven later reviews, four sham-controlled trials and American, European and British guidance report on acupuncture and electroacupuncture for rheumatoid arthritis.
Modern research · Anyone · 9 min
Sciatica and lumbar disc herniation
What Cochrane’s neighbouring reviews, six reviews of sciatica and disc herniation, two trials against sham and the NICE and ACP guidelines report on acupuncture for sciatica.
Modern research · Anyone · 9 min
Shoulder pain
What the Cochrane review, the individual patient data meta-analyses, the GRASP trial and later reviews report on acupuncture for shoulder pain.
Modern research · Anyone · 6 min
Smoking cessation
What the Cochrane review of 38 studies, two later meta-analyses, a sham-controlled trial and NICE's tobacco guideline report on acupuncture, acupressure, laser and electrical stimulation for stopping smoking.
Modern research · Anyone · 6 min
Stroke recovery
What three Cochrane reviews, a review of sham-controlled trials, a Swedish and a Chinese trial, and a 2025 review of 19 guidelines report on acupuncture after stroke, from the first month to rehabilitation and swallowing.
Modern research · Anyone · 6 min
Temporomandibular disorders
What a 2023 network meta-analysis of 153 trials, reviews against sham and against other treatments, five trials and the BMJ, UK and NICE guidance report on acupuncture for jaw pain from temporomandibular disorders.
Modern research · Anyone · 10 min
Tension-type headache
What the Cochrane review, later meta-analyses, the main trials and NICE report on acupuncture to prevent tension-type headache.
Modern research · Anyone · 7 min
Tinnitus
What systematic reviews report on acupuncture for tinnitus, why Cochrane never finished its review, and what NICE and the US otolaryngology guideline say.
Modern research · Anyone · 5 min
Urinary incontinence
What the 2013 Cochrane review, four later reviews, sham-controlled trials in women and in men after prostate surgery, and three guidelines report on acupuncture and electroacupuncture for stress and mixed urinary incontinence.
Modern research · Anyone · 9 min
Urinary retention
What Cochrane, six systematic reviews, trials after childbirth, surgery and stroke, and two guidelines report on acupuncture, electroacupuncture and moxibustion for urinary retention.
Modern research · Anyone · 10 min