What the evidence supports
The strongest research is for pain. In 2021 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended acupuncture as an option for chronic primary pain, which is pain lasting more than three months without a clear underlying cause. NICE also recommends a course of up to ten sessions for preventing migraine and tension-type headache. A large individual patient data meta-analysis of around 20,000 patients, updated in 2018, found acupuncture outperformed both usual care and sham acupuncture for chronic back, neck, shoulder and knee pain and for headache, with effects that persisted at twelve months.
There is also reasonable evidence for post-operative and chemotherapy-related nausea, and the NHS notes that acupuncture is used in pain clinics and hospices across the UK.
Where the evidence is weaker
For fertility, weight loss, smoking cessation and many long-term illnesses the studies are small, inconsistent or of low quality. That does not mean acupuncture does nothing for these, but it means no one can promise results, and you should be wary of any clinic that does.
How it is thought to work
Needling stimulates sensory nerves in skin and muscle. This triggers the release of endorphins and other neurotransmitters, changes activity in the parts of the brain that process pain, and can reduce local inflammation and improve blood flow. The traditional explanation in terms of qi and meridians describes the same points and effects in a different language.
The sham acupuncture question
Trials comparing real acupuncture with sham needling often show a smaller gap than trials comparing it with no treatment. Part of the benefit is likely the treatment context itself. For a patient in pain, the practical question is whether the overall effect is real, lasting and safe, and for chronic pain and headache the answer from the best available evidence is yes.
What that means for you
At Omnia we assess whether acupuncture is a sensible option for your condition at the first visit and say so if it is not. Where evidence is limited we explain that, and we review progress at the third session so you are not paying for a course that is not helping.