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Modern Research & Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been used as a natural health care practice for over 5,000 years. While it has ancient roots, modern science is beginning to uncover how and why it works. Studies from hospitals, research centers, and leading scientists around the world continue to validate acupuncture as a safe, effective, and respected form of health care.

acupuncture modern research

Acupuncture is a safe, natural way to support your body’s healing, and modern research continues to show just how effective it can be. Studies reveal that acupuncture helps relieve chronic pain, including low back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, and joint discomfort. It’s also proven to reduce migraine frequency and severity, often with fewer side effects than medications.

For women’s health, acupuncture can ease anxiety and depression related to fertility challenges, support reproductive wellness, and help balance hormones. It’s also shown benefits for digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome, cardiovascular support, asthma, and seasonal allergies. Even cancer patients find relief from treatment-related pain and discomfort.

Acupuncture works by stimulating your body’s natural pain-relieving and healing pathways, improving circulation, balancing the nervous system, and regulating neurotransmitters that influence mood, stress, and overall wellness.

At Ageless Acupuncture, we use these insights from modern research to provide personalized care that helps you naturally reduce pain, manage stress, and improve your quality of life without drugs or surgery.

 

Acupuncture works as an effective alternative and adjunct treatment modality. It is a safe, effective and natural approach to help regain and maintain health and well-being.

 

CURRENT RESEARCH RELATING TO ACUPUNCTURE

Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain & Musculoskeletal Pain

A 2023 meta-analysis published in Integrative Medicine Research reviewed randomized controlled trials comparing acupuncture (alone or combined with conventional care) against conventional treatment for chronic non-specific low back pain and found that acupuncture to be an effective alternative  or adjunctive therapy. Moreover, a 2025 systematic review of clinical practice guidelines concluded that evidence supporting acupuncture for chronic musculoskeletal pain (including low back pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis, shoulder pain) has become more robust, recommending acupuncture be considered in clinical settings.

Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia (Widespread Chronic Pain)

For individuals with Fibromyalgia (FM), a 2022 meta-analysis demonstrated that acupuncture significantly reduced pain compared to control conditions, and showed some evidence of improving overall well-being. Importantly, no serious adverse events were reported.

Acupuncture for Migraines and Headaches

Clinical research demonstrated that acupuncture significantly reduced migraine duration, frequency of attacks, and number of migraine days, while also improving patients’ quality of life compared with sham or pharmacological treatments. Additionally, a 2024 analysis combining results from multiple high-quality clinical trials to see overall trends and factors affecting treatment outcomes concluded there is a dose-response relationship: a course of ~16 acupuncture sessions (three times per week over 1.5 – 2 months) was associated with the largest reductions in migraine frequency although benefits plateaued over time.

A 2024 study comparing acupuncture to standard migraine-prevention medicines found that acupuncture often reduced the number and severity of migraines more effectively, with many patients seeing their migraine days cut in half and usually with fewer side effects than medications.

Acupuncture for Women’s Health & Reproductive/Emotional Well-Being

A scientific study found that acupuncture can significantly reduce anxiety and depression in women facing infertility suggesting it helps support emotional well-being during fertility challenges. While its effects on IVF success are less clear, more people are turning to acupuncture to manage stress during fertility treatments.

Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Many patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), especially diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D), report improvement in symptoms and quality of life when receiving consistent acupuncture treatments over several weeks. Clinical trials support these observations, showing reductions in abdominal pain and improved stool consistency (J.Yang et al., 2025; Zhou et al., 2025)

Acupuncture for Hypertension

For individuals managing high blood pressure, acupuncture may offer support alongside lifestyle changes and medications. Research indicates that acupuncture can modestly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, providing an additional tool to help maintain cardiovascular health.

Acupuncture for Pain Relief in Cancer Patients

Many patients undergoing cancer treatment experience chronic pain, and acupuncture has been shown to reduce pain intensity and improve comfort when integrated into palliative care. While it results vary depending on cancer type and treatment plan, acupuncture is widely considered a safe complementary option (Zhang et al., 2023).

Acupuncture for Asthma

People living with asthma have found that acupuncture may ease breathing difficulties and improve quality of life when used in addition to conventional therapies. Studies suggest improvements in symptom scores and lung function measures, although acupuncture should never replace prescribed medications.

Acupuncture for Wrist/Ankle Pain & Osteoarthritis (OA)

Acupuncture can help reduce joint pain and improve mobility in conditions like wrist or ankle pain and Osteoarthritis. Patients often experience decreased discomfort, better range of motion, and improved daily function after multiple sessions (Sun et al., 2025; C. Liu et al., 2024)

Acupuncture for Allergic Rhinitis 

According to He et al., (2022), for seasonal allergies, hay fever, or persistent nasal symptoms, acupuncture has been found to reduce sneezing, nasal congestion, and itchiness, helping patients feel more comfortable during allergy seasons.

 

Acupuncture is recognized by leading national and international health organizations to be effective in the treatment of a wide variety of medical problems. 

  • Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy
  • Abdominal pain (in acute gastroenteritis or due to gastrointestinal spasm)
  • Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
  • Bell’s palsy
  • Cancer pain
  • Chronic gastritis
  • Morning sickness
  • Diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent
  • Dysmenorrhoea
  • Earache
  • Epistaxis
  • Facial pain
  • Facial spasm
  • Female infertility
  • Fibromyalgia and fasciitis
  • Headache
  • Hepatitis B virus carrier status
  • Herpes zoster
  • Hypertension
  • Induction of labor
  • Insomnia
  • Knee pain
  • Leukopenia
  • Low back pain
  • Male sexual dysfunction, non-organic
  • Malposition of fetus
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Neck pain
  • Obesity
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Pain in dentistry
  • Peptic ulcer
  • Periarthritis of shoulder
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome
  • Postoperative pain
  • Premenstrual syndrome
  • Prostatitis
  • Raynaud syndrome
  • Renal colic
  • Retention of urine, traumatic
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Schizophrenia
  • Sciatica
  • Sore throat (including tonsillitis)
  • Spine pain, acute
  • Sprain
  • Stiff neck
  • Stroke
  • TMJ dysfunction
  • Tennis elbow
  • Tobacco dependence
  • Ulcerative colitis, chronic
  • Whooping cough (pertussis)

 

Current theories on the mechanism of acupuncture

1) Neurotransmitter Theory

Acupuncture stimulates parts of the nervous system (in the brain and the spinal cord), leading to increased release of natural pain-relieving and mood-modulating chemicals: opioids (like endorphins, enkephalins), serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters. These neurochemicals can reduce pain and also influence immune and body-system functions. There is evidence that such change in neurotransmitter levels may account for some of the analgesic, emotional, and regulatory effects attributed to acupuncture (Cheng,2013)

2) Blood Chemistry Theory

Researchers propose that acupuncture may influence systemic physiology affecting blood chemistry, supporting a shift toward overall homeostasis. Along these lines, acupuncture may also modulate vascular responses, circulation, or local blood flow which could help tissues healing and relieve musculoskeletal pain or inflammation (Gong & Liu., 2019; Hsiao & Tsai, 2009; Cheng, 2013)

3) Autonomic Nervous System Theory

Acupuncture appears to influence the balance between sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) branches of the ANS. Evidence shows that under acupuncture, heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, skin conductance/temperature, and other autonomic markers can shift in ways consistent with ANS regulation (Q.Li et al., 2013; Zhou et al., 2024)

4) Vascular-interstitial Theory

Some hypotheses although less well established, but still discussed suggest that acupuncture might influence the “interstitial” environment: connective issue, interstitial fluid flow, fascia, local circulation, and perhaps micro-circulatory or bioelectrical properties of tissues (Hsiao & Tsiao, 2009; Cheng,2013; Gomes & Leão, 2019)

5) Gate Control Theory

At the level of the spinal cord, acupuncture is thought to activate non-painful sensory nerve fibers. This activation can “close the gate” to pain signals coming from small-pain transmitting fibers, reducing transmission of noxious stimuli to the brain thereby decreasing pain perception (Moffet, 2006; Gong & Liu, 2019)

 

References:

  1.  Giovanardi, C. M., Gonzalez-Lorenzo, M., Poini, A., Marchi, E., Culcasi, A., Ursini, F., Faldini, C., Di Martino, A., Mazzanti, U., Campesato, E., Matrà, A., Cevoli, S., & Benedetti, M. G. (2023). Acupuncture as an alternative or in addition to conventional treatment for chronic non-specific low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Integrative Medicine Research, 12(3), 100972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imr.2023.100972
  2. Ho, L., Lai, C.N.T., Chen, H. et al. Systematic review of clinical practice guidelines on acupuncture for chronic musculoskeletal pain. BMC Complement Med Ther 25, 322 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-05070-y
  3. Zheng, C., Zhou, T., Zheng, C., & Zhou, T. (2022). Effect of Acupuncture on pain, fatigue, sleep, Physical function, Stiffness, Well-Being, and Safety in Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Pain Research, Volume 15, 315–329. https://doi.org/10.2147/jpr.s351320
  4. Lu, T., Yang, Y., & Liu, J. (2025). Acupuncture improves migraine and quality of life in patients with migraine: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Systematic Reviews, 14(1), 220. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-025-02977-y
  5. Yang, C., Wu, M., Luo, Q., Xu, G., Huang, L., Tian, H., Sun, M., & Liang, F. (2024). Acupuncture for migraine: A systematic review and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 86, 103076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2024.103076
  6. Liu, A. R., Zhu, Q., Li, J., Cao, Y., Pei, T., & Shi, L. (2025). Efficacy of Acupuncture and Pharmacotherapy for Migraine Prophylaxis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Pain Research, Volume 18, 2521–2540. https://doi.org/10.2147/jpr.s519846
  7. Hwang, S.-I., Yoon, Y.-J., Sung, S.-H., Cho, S.-J., & Park, J.-K. (2023). Acupuncture Treatment for Emotional Problems in Women with Infertility: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Healthcare, 11(20), 2704. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11202704
  8. Yang, J., Qi, L., Yan, S., She, Y., Li, Y., Chi, L., Hu, H., Wang, L., Ji, C., Wu, B., Fu, Z., Li, S., Yang, N., Wang, Y., & Liu, C. (2025b). Efficacy of ACupuncTure in Irritable BOwel SyNdrome (ACTION): a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Gastroenterology, 169(5), 958-969.e5. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2025.05.016
  9. Zhou, J., Lamichhane, N., Xu, Z., Wang, J., Quynh, V. D., Huang, J., Gao, F., Zhao, M., Chen, Z., & Zhao, T. (2025b). The effect of acupuncture on quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 20(2), e0314678. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314678
  10. Allen, J., Mak, S. S., Begashaw, M., Larkin, J., Miake‑Lye, I., Beroes‑Severin, J., Olson, J., & Shekelle, P. G. (2022). Use of acupuncture for adult health conditions, 2013 to 2021: A systematic review. JAMA Network Open, 5(11), e2243665. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.43665
  11. Zhang, Y., Zhang, Y., Liu, S., Li, B., Song, Z., Han, Q., Wang, C., Wang, Y., Yu, Y., Xia, H., Wang, C., & Li, J. (2023b). Acupuncture for cancer pain: a scoping review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Frontiers in Oncology, 13, 1169458. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2023.1169458
  12. Pang, J., Shergis, J. L., Zheng, L., Liu, S., Guo, X., Zhang, A. L., Lin, L., Xue, C. C., & Wu, L. (2023). Clinical evidence for acupuncture for adult asthma: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised sham/placebo-controlled trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 75, 102956. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102956
  13. Sun, J., Liang, Y., Luo, KT. et al. Efficacy of Different Acupuncture Techniques for Pain and Dysfunction in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Pain Ther 14, 737–751 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40122-025-00713-x
  14. Liu, C.‑Y., Duan, Y.‑S., & Zhou, H. (2024). Clinical effect and contributing factors of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and pairwise and exploratory network meta‑analysis. BMJ Evidence‑Based Medicine, 29(6), 374–384. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjebm‑2023‑112626
  15. He, M., Qin, W., Qin, Z. et al. Acupuncture for allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Med Res 27, 58 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40001-022-00682-3
  16. Cheng, K. J. (2013). Neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture for some common illnesses: A Clinician’s perspective. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 7(3), 105–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2013.07.008
  17. Szilard, H., Havasi, M., Szőke, H., Petrovics, G., & Hegyi, G. (2016). Different techniques of acupuncture – Part of the traditional Chinese medicine and “evidence based medicine”. World Journal of Research and Review, 3(5), 39–48. Retrieved from https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/262875-different-techniques-of-acupuncture-part‑85177948.pdf
  18. Gong, C., & Liu, W. (2019). Advanced research validates classical principles—the neurobiological mechanisms involved in acupuncture for pain management. Longhua Chinese Medicine, 2, 16. https://doi.org/10.21037/lcm.2019.10.02
  19. Hsiao, S., & Tsai, L. (2008). A neurovascular transmission model for acupuncture-induced nitric oxide. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 1(1), 42–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2005-2901(09)60006-6
  20. Li, Q., Shi, G., Xu, Q., Wang, J., Liu, C., & Wang, L. (2013b). Acupuncture effect and central autonomic regulation. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/267959
  21. Zhou, X., Zhou, J., Zhang, F., Shu, Q., Wu, Y., Chang, H.‑M., Zhang, B., Cai, R.‑L., & Yu, Q. (2024). Key targets of signal transduction neural mechanisms in acupuncture treatment of cardiovascular diseases: Hypothalamus and autonomic nervous system. Heliyon, 10(19), e38197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38197
  22. Gomes, L.R., Leão, P. Recent Approaches on Signal Transduction and Transmission in Acupuncture: A Biophysical Overview for Medical Sciences. Innov. Acupunct. Med. 13, 1–11 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2019.11.003
  23. Moffet, H.H. How might acupuncture work? A systematic review of physiologic rationales from clinical trials. BMC Complement Altern Med 6, 25 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-6-25
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