‘According to a 2021 World Health Organization report, acupuncture is the most widely used traditional medicine practice globally, and it’s gaining traction in the U.S. In 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services began covering acupuncture for the first time for chronic low back pain.’

The article recent published in TIME that Why Acupuncture Is Going Mainstream in Medicine has widely attracted people’s interest. Experts believe that needle stimulation to certain points can cause body reactions like sending more blood or lymphatic fluid to specific organs or allowing muscles to release in a way that reduces tension on joints and bones. The needles may also stimulate nerves and tweak nervous system regulation to result in a relaxation response, which relieves pain. Acupuncture is also thought to stimulate the immune system and control inflammation.  

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) fines that acupuncture for pain relief tends to have the most evidence, especially for conditions that have become chronic like osteoarthritis and lower back pain, as well as tension headaches. A review of 11 clinical trials also suggests that acupuncture may help with symptoms such as nausea, numbness, tingling, brain fog, low appetite, acute and chronic pain, and mood challenges that associate with cancer or cancer treatment.

As the evidence base expands, acupuncture will likely continue to grow in popularity. Although acupuncture has been used for centuries, only in the past decade has there been a seismic shift in acceptance by both Western medical doctors and patients.