Many skeptics may be wondering just exactly what conditions does acupuncture treat? Acupuncture is a practice that began in China and has been used for thousands of years and is used to treat a variety of ailments and promote overall health. According to a 2007 National Health Interview Survey; 3.1 million adults in the U.S. had used acupuncture in the previous year. Read on to learn more about how acupuncture works, what acupuncture treats, and the results of studies examining acupuncture.

Acupuncture Process

Acupuncture is the process of inserting very thin metallic needles into specific points on the body. According to traditional practices the goal of acupuncture is to promote a healthy balance and flow of energy, or qi, through the body. There are between 14 and 20 meridians and over 2,000 points on the body that can be manipulated through acupuncture. Acupuncture needles are so thin that they cause very little discomfort when inserted. During the treatment, the practitioner may manipulate the needles by gently spinning them or applying a weak electric pulse to the needles. The needles are generally in place for between 15 and 30 minutes and cause no discomfort during removal.

What Acupuncture Treats

Acupuncture is used to treat a wide range of ailments, although scientists do not fully understand why acupuncture eases pain. Acupuncture is not a cure for diseases, but does ease symptoms of many ailments including: nausea from chemotherapy, fibromyalgia, migraines, chronic lower back pain, osteoarthritis, labor pain, menstrual cramps and more. Many people repeatedly use acupuncture to treat and control pain, and acupuncture seems to be more effective for people who believe it will work.

Promising Acupuncture Studies

Archives of Internal Medicine- A study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine revealed that acupuncture was an effective treatment for chronic lower back pain and was superior to normal care procedures. At the beginning of the study, 66% of patients were taking pain medication. After eight weeks 59% of the normal group was still on pain medication while the acupuncture group had decreased to 47%.

• Cherkin, PhD, Daniel C. , Luisa Hamilton, MD, Alice Pressman, MS, Partap S. Khalsa, DC, PhD, Richard A Deyo, MD, MPH , Rene Hawkes, BA, Kristin Delaney, MPH, William E. Barlow, PhD, and Laura Ichikawa, MS. "A Randomized Trial Comparing Acupuncture, Simulated Acupuncture, and Usual Care for Chronic Low Back Pain." Archives of Internal Medicine 169.9 (2009): 858-866. Print.

Headache- A study published in the journal Headache revealed that sufferers of daily headaches were 3.7 times more likely to report less suffering after six weeks of acupuncture treatments as compared to those who received only medical treatments.

• Coeytaux, MD, PhD, Remy R. , Jay S. Kaufman, PhD, Ted Kaptchuk, OMD, and Wunian Chen, MD;. "A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Acupuncture for Chronic Daily Headache." Headache October (2005):  Print.

Annals of Internal Medicine- A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine on knee osteoarthritis showed acupuncture correlated with a 53.1% success rate while traditional practices only correlated to 29.1%.

• Scharf, MD, Hanns-Peter , Hans-Joachim Trampisch, PhD, Christoph Maier, MD;, Ju¨ rgen Kra¨mer, MD, Steffen Witte, PhD, Konrad Streitberger, MD, Ulrich Mansmann, PhD, and Norbert Victor, PhD. "Acupuncture and Knee Osteoarthritis: A Three Armed Randomized Trial." Annals of Internal Medicine 145.1 (2006): 12-20. Print.

The National Cancer Institute- The National Cancer Institute reported that one study on acupuncture and cancer pain showed that 52% of patients were significantly helped, and another study reported a 36% reduction in pain intensity.

• "Acupuncture - National Cancer Institute." Comprehensive Cancer Information - National Cancer Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2010. <http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/acupuncture/HealthProfessional/allpages>