Harvard Medical School researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) found acupuncture needle stimulation caused a pronounced calming of activity in the deep structures of the brain. Reports concluded, "Modulation of this neuronal network could constitute the initiating steps by which acupuncture regulates multiple physiological systems and achieves diverse therapeutic effect."

Human Brian Mapping, 2000

According to New research from the University of California San Francisco,  Wolf E. Mehling, M.D., assistant professor of family and community medicine,revealed that two days of acupuncture and massage, in conjunction to standard post-operative care, lead to fewer pain symptoms over a period of three days, as compared to patients who received standard post-op alone.  

March 2007

Acupuncture may help improve sperm quality in infertile men, according to a study published in the Fertility and Sterility journal.  Results showed the group that received acupuncture in addition to traditional infertility treatments had fewer structural defects than the men who only received conventional treatments.  

July 2005

A survey conducted by the American Hospital Association, involving more than 6000 hospital in the United States in December 2005, reports one out of every four hospitals now offer alternative therapies.  Among them, 71% massage therapy, 47% Tai Chi/ Qi gong/ Yoga, 39% acupuncture.  In addition, patient was willing to pay for these services out of pocket.

July 2006

33% improvement in menstrual pain level, severe cramps and discomfort according to a German study of 201 women.  The course of the treatment average about 10 sessions. Dr. Claudia Witt of Charite University Medical Center, Berlin states, "Patients with chronic dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain) treated with acupuncture as an adjunct to routine care showed significant improvements in pain intensity and quality of life compared to patients who received routine care alone."  The report also mentioned women in the past have been using NSAIDs or non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs to treat menstrual cramps, which come with side effects.

Volume 198, Issue 2, February 2008

Base on a research involving 1,366 women by the University of Maryland, USA and VU University Amsterdam in Holland,  acupuncture for women undergoing IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) have 65% more likelihood to become pregnant when combined with conventional procedures.  Acupuncture is also cost-effective when compared to $6,000-$10,000 per cycle for IVF.  The report noted that acupuncture is safe and efficient method to boost the success rates in fertility treatments. 

February 2008

According to Brent Bauer,M.D., Director, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, Mayo Clinic, "People who were given acupunture 30 minutes before surgery and during surgery experienced significantly less pain post-surgery than did people who didn't get acupuncture.  As a result, they nedded less morphine and other pain medications after surgery."  In addition, the pain-drug effects of the patient using acupuncture experienced fewer nausea, dizziness and urinary retention compared to the other patients. 

North Carolina

In a German acupuncture trial involving 1162 patients with chronic low back pain, Dr. Michael Haake, from the University of Regensburg in Bad Abbach, Germany wrote, "were the decisive trials on which the German Federal Committee of  Physicians and Health Insurance Plans.....based its decision to make acupuncture for chronic low back pain an insured benefit, for the first time putting acupuncture on an equal footing with conventional therapy." 

October 2007

Recent study of 73 people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) involving combat veterans at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque indicated acupuncture with group therapy lasted for 3 months after the end of the treatments.  Study was conducted by Dr. Michael Hollifield, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Louisville in Kentucky said, "Acupuncture in this preliminary pilot study looked to be very helpful for PTSD and perhaps in some ways as helpful as the standard treatment of cognitive behavioral therapy.  Acupuncture proved helpful enough to where some participants said they were significantly helped and /or did not have as much of their post-traumatic stress symptoms anymore." 

June 2007

Dr. David Pfister, chief of head and neck medical oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York uses acupuncture to help reduce pain, dry mouth and shoulder dysfunction of cancer patients after lymph nodes removal surgery on the neck.  Based on his findings, approximately 40% of patients using acupuncture showed improvements in both pain and mobility verses only 7% in the standard group care.  "Although further studies are needed, this does support the potential role of acupuncture." said Pfister.

New York

Studies on migraines involving 160 participants, revealed acupuncture significantly decreases and prevent future attacks and works better than drugs alone.  According to Dr. Enrico Facco, University of Padua, Italy, over a six months period, the group which received acupuncture showed lasting improvement verses the group with sham acupuncture with medication.  He indicated more studies are needed to confirm the benefits of acupuncture, however, migraine sufferers can use it for preventive measures since acupuncture carries little risk of side effects. 

Headache Journal, March 2008