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Results

By Mayo Clinic staff

The benefits of acupuncture are sometimes difficult to measure, but many people find it helpful as a means to control a variety of painful conditions.

Several studies, however, indicate that some types of simulated acupuncture appear to work just as well as real acupuncture. There also is evidence that acupuncture works best in people who expect it to work.

Since acupuncture has few side effects, it may be worth a try if you're having trouble controlling pain with more-conventional methods.

What you can expect
References
  1. Acupuncture for pain. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/acupuncture-for-pain.htm. Accessed Nov. 21, 2011.
  2. Acupuncture. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Nov. 22, 2011.
  3. Ahn AC. Acupuncture. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 21, 2011.
  4. Bauer BA. Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2007:106.
  5. Mao JJ, et al. Acupuncture in primary Care. Primary Care Clinics in Office Practice. 2010;37:105.
  6. Barrows K. Acupuncture. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2010. 50th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=1. Accessed Nov. 22, 2011.
  7. Acupuncture. North American Spine Society. http://www.knowyourback.org/Pages/Treatments/AlternativeMedicine/Acupuncture.aspx. Accessed Nov. 22, 2011.
  8. AskMayoExpert. What happens during an acupuncture session? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2011.
  9. Martin DP (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 5, 2011.
MY00946 Jan. 25, 2012

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