„Acupuncture – What It Exactly Is and If It Is Effective

The term acupuncture is a combination of the two Latin words – acus (needle) and punctio (placement).. The treatment using acupuncture is deeply rooted in the traditional medicine of the Far East.. The West had its first contact with acupuncture in the 13th century, which was a result of a wave of great geographical discoveries made by the Venetian explorer Marco Polo.. Western medicine only became interested in it in the second half of the 20th century.. Acupuncture is a therapeutic method that relies on puncturing special, thin needles into specific points on the body, known as acupuncture points.. In 1997, the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the US accepted the stance that „acupuncture can be useful as a supportive treatment, accepted alternative, or as part of the entire therapeutic process”.

Following the release of the NIH statement, several studies have been conducted examining the operational mechanism of acupuncture procedures. Based on current knowledge, it has been established that acupuncture treatments trigger the release of endogenous opioids, naturally produced substances in the human brain that alleviate pain. For example, endorphins are the same ones that are released during intense physical exertion and decrease the perception of pain associated with training. Acupuncture is also attributed to have an impact on other neurotransmitters related to the autonomic nervous system, such as oxytocin, serotonin, and vasopressin, and regulate pain modulation. Additionally, stimulation of specific acupuncture points can influence the cortisol level. Stimulation of specific acupuncture points also changes the electrical activity of the brain, which ultimately results in a specific clinical effect. For instance, stimulation of a point on the side of the foot (according to traditional Chinese medicine) should lead to a reaction in the visual organ similar to the perception of sunlight through the retina of the eye.

Acupuncture is one of the main methods used in the treatment of pain conditions in various parts of the human body. A study conducted on a group of 15 children with chronic tension headaches found that 12 acupuncture sessions resulted in a significant reduction in pain after completion of therapy, with this effect being maintained for 3 months after treatment (J.. Wendorff, P. Woźniak, P.. Półrola 2009). There are many scientific works analyzing the use of acupuncture in the treatment of back pain, especially in the lower back region. However, the results of the studies are highly variable. In a randomized, controlled clinical trial that included a group of 275 patients, the conventional treatment was compared to a therapy enriched with acupuncture. The study was conducted in 4 healthcare centers in Spain, with the acupuncture treatments having three forms: real, simulated, and placebo. Although all acupuncture methods proved to be more effective than the traditional treatment, no differences in the effectiveness of the individual forms were observed (J.. Vas et al. 2012). Similar results were observed in studies conducted on a group of 131 patients of the orthopedic department of the University of Göttingen in Germany. Traditional acupuncture proved to be more effective than routine physiotherapy, but no significant differences were observed in comparison to simulated acupuncture placebo (E.. Leibing et al. 2002). Reviews of scientific studies also do not give a clear answer to the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of non-specific back pain. A review that included 23 studies with 6359 participants suggested that acupuncture should be recommended as a supplement to conventional care in chronic lower back pain (J.. Yuan et al. 2008). In another review that included 11 randomized studies (1139 participants), a higher effectiveness of acupuncture compared to anti-inflammatory drugs and simulated acupuncture was demonstrated (J.. H. Lee et al. 2013). However, the authors of a newer review that included 33 studies with 8270 participants found that acupuncture does not play a clinically significant role in alleviating pain after completed treatment and improving quality of life (J.. Mu et al. 2020). It is worth noting that the quality of the scientific studies used in the aforementioned reviews was low or moderate.

Insomnia is having difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping without regenerative properties. Insomnia occurs when the condition persists for at least one month. It should be noted that this problem does not only affect the night, as lack of sleep affects daytime functioning, causing decreased energy or mood. A group of 72 patients with primary insomnia were divided into two groups: a control group and an experimental group receiving acupuncture visits (3 per week for 4 weeks). The authors of the study evaluated the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and sleep performance parameters: performance (SE), improvement (DSSA) and total sleep time (SSA). The participants were also evaluated using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Depression (SDS). The intervention in the form of acupuncture resulted in a significant improvement in ISI values after 2 and 4 weeks of therapy. An improvement in the results of SE, TST, and SDS was also noted (X. Yin et al., 2017). Another of the newer scientific papers also showed the value of acupuncture in the treatment of insomnia. A meta-analysis and systematic review of 24 randomized controlled trials showed a positive effect of acupuncture on the treatment of insomnia. However, it was observed that the improvement in the patient's condition and the alleviation of symptoms occurred after more than 3 weeks of treatment (S.A. Kim et al., 2020).

– In a study involving 40 women diagnosed with PCOS undergoing a 4-month electroacupuncture regimen (stimulating specific dermatomes via electrical current as an alternative to traditional needling), the intervention regulated androgen levels and increased beta-endorphins, significantly alleviating anxiety and depressive symptoms (H. L. Zhang et al. 2020). – The analgesic mechanisms of acupuncture and its modulatory effect on the autonomic nervous system serve as a valuable complementary approach in managing endometriosis pain (P. Woźniak et al. 2012). – Acupuncture therapy demonstrates efficacy in reducing hot flashes in perimenopausal women; in a trial of 86 patients receiving 12 sessions over 4 weeks, hot flash frequency dropped by 47.5% compared to baseline (P. Woźniak et al. 2012). – Acupuncture also provides meaningful support in major depressive disorders; in 60 patients with moderate depression receiving 24 electroacupuncture sessions alongside pharmacotherapy over 8 weeks, significant improvements in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores and tryptophan metabolism were documented (W. Li et al. 2020). Although dry needling and acupuncture are viewed by some as unconventional, growing clinical evidence substantiates their therapeutic utility worldwide.