NIH Panel: Acupuncture Is Effective For Some Conditions
WASHINGTON, MD -- November 6, 1997
A
consensus panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
today concluded there is clear evidence needle acupuncture treatment is
effective for post-operative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting,
nausea of pregnancy and post-operative dental pain.
The
12-member panel also concluded in their consensus statement that there
are a number of other pain-related conditions for which acupuncture may
be effective as an adjunct therapy, an acceptable alternative, or as
part of a comprehensive treatment program, but for which there is less
convincing scientific data. These conditions include -- but are not
limited to -- addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual
cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia (general muscle pain), low back
pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and asthma.
"We need more high
quality research to validate what appears to be useful for the millions
of Americans that have used acupuncture in this country," said panel
chairman David Ramsay, DM, D. Phil, president of the University of
Maryland. "The challenge in studying acupuncture is to integrate the
theory of Chinese medicine into the conventional Western biomedical
research model and into the conventional health care arena."
Acupuncture
is a family of procedures, the most well known of which involves
penetration of specific anatomic locations on the skin, called
acupuncture points, by thin, solid, generally metallic needles.
Acupuncture
is one of the oldest and most commonly used forms of traditional
medicine in the world -- dating back for at least 2,500 years. The
general theory of acupuncture is based on the premise that there are
patterns of energy flow called Qi (pronounced "chee") throughout the
body that are essential for optimal health.
Public awareness and
use of acupuncture increased in the United States following President
Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972 and New York Times reporter
James Reston's account of how physicians in Beijing eased his
post-surgery abdominal pain with needles. According to the World Health
Organization, there are approximately 10,000 acupuncture specialists in
the U.S. and an estimated 3,000 practicing acupuncturists are
physicians.
In 1993 the Food and Drug Administration reported
Americans were spending $500 million US per year and making
approximately nine to 12 million patient visits for acupuncture
treatments.
The introduction and acceptance of any new treatment
can be a difficult process. When that new treatment is based on
theories unfamiliar to Western medicine, the difficulties are
accentuated. To enhance the acceptance of acupuncture in the U.S., the
panel emphasized the need for improved understanding of perspectives
between acupuncture practitioners and today's conventional health care
community.
The panel commended the ongoing increase in
improved training and called for more uniform licensing, certification
and accreditation of acupuncturists among states, which will help the
public identify qualified acupuncture practitioners and to have more
assurance in quality of service. Thirty-four states license or
otherwise regulate the practice of acupuncture by non-physicians and
have established training standards for certification to practice
acupuncture.
Adverse side effects of acupuncture are extremely
low and often lower than conventional treatments. However, the panel
noted that adverse side effects have occurred on rare occasions. They
recommended that patients be fully informed of their treatment options,
expected prognosis, relative risk and safety practices to minimize the
risks prior to undergoing acupuncture treatment.
Because many
individuals seek health care treatment from both acupuncturists and
physicians, the consensus panel advocated a strengthening of
communications between these health care provider groups to maximize
the possibility that important medical problems are not overlooked. The
panel additionally encouraged broader public access to acupuncture
treatment by urging insurance companies, Federal and state health
insurance programs including Medicare and Medicaid and other
third-party payers to expand their coverage to include appropriate
acupuncture treatments. Doing so, the panel stated, would help remove
the financial barriers to access to these services.
Finally, the
panel identified important areas for future acupuncture research. In
particular, the panel emphasized the importance of evaluating
acupuncture for the treatment of specific conditions using study
designs that can withstand rigorous scientific scrutiny.
"The
acceptance of acupuncture as a reliable therapeutic choice in Western
medicine will depend on such rigorous studies," Dr. Ramsay said.
The
panel issued their consensus statement following an extensive review of
the existing medical literature and a series of presentations by
acupuncture research experts at a three-day NIH Consensus Development
Conference on Acupuncture.