Research 

There have been over 8,000 randomized controlled trials involving acupuncture in the last 40 years and the pace of these studies has been rapidly accelerating in the last several years. We recommend the following studies to help get the most up to date and comprehensive information on the evidence behind acupuncture’s effectiveness.

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The Acupuncture Evidence Project

The Acupuncture Evidence Project (AEP) is a landmark study commissioned by the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association and includes the most comprehensive reviews of research on acupuncture for 123 different medical conditions.
Plain English Summery and Full Study Versions

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American Specialty Health Patient Experience/Satisfaction Survey

Does Acupuncture Provided Within a Managed Care Setting Meet Patient Expectations and Quality Outcomes? A 2-Year Retroactive Study of 89,000 Managed Network Patients
American Specialty Health (ASH) is a company that specializes in the development and management of managed care plans for non-drug physical medicine services. This study reflects the experience of 89,000 acupuncture patients treated in 2014 and 2015 through a network of 6,000 U.S. acupuncturists. This is a truly important study because it shows how patients receiving acupuncture the U.S. rate their experience within the acupuncture practice and their satisfaction with the outcome of their treatment.
Download Study (PDF)

Acupuncture in Pain Management: Strengths and Weaknesses of a Promising Non-Pharmacologic Therapy in the Age of the Opioid Epidemic

This is a position paper produced by the Acupuncture Now Foundation that reviews the evidence regarding acupuncture in pain management of the most common pain conditions and explores the role acupuncture could play in reducing dependency of opioids and other harmful drugs for managing pain. This paper also considers factors that might discourage health care professionals form recommending acupuncture such as cost and availability concerns.
(Full Paper PDF) (Cover Letter PDF)

ANF Submissions to Governmental Agencies Related to Acupuncture

As the interest in acupuncture has grown and yet much misinformation regarding acupuncture persists, The Acupuncture Now Foundation has sent in submissions to policymakers in different countries and aided several groups in their submissions. Here is a list of ANF submissions to policymaking agencies.

• Download Joint Acupuncture Opioid Task Force CDC Submission (PDF)
• Download Full Letter to the Department of Workers’ Compensation (PDF)
• Download Full Letter to the Minnesota Department of Human Services (PDF)
• Download ANF Response to NICE (PDF)
• Acupuncture in Pain Management: Strengths and Weaknesses of a Promising Non-Pharmacologic Therapy in the Age of the Opioid Epidemic. FDA Position Paper (Full Paper PDF) (Cover Letter PDF)

Challenges with Acupuncture Research

While thousands of research studies have been done on acupuncture, the research methodology quality and clinical quality of those studies vary greatly. Here, we offer some perspective on the challenges the persist in acupuncture research.
The Lack of Clinical Quality Guidelines Causes Underestimation of Efficacy in Sham Controlled Acupuncture Trials
Putting Acupuncture Research into Perspective