Acupuncture for Pain Relief

For 3,000 years, acupuncture has been a trusted technique used by healthcare providers in many parts of the world. Though “modern medicine” has long been skeptical of acupuncture’s place in Western healthcare, a growing base of solid research and science points toward the many benefits of acupuncture, chief among them its significant pain relieving properties. As the U.S. grapples with the opioid crisis, healthcare providers and patients in pain are seeking effective alternatives. Given our collective experience and clinical knowledge, the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA) strongly supports the scientific findings that medical acupuncture can play a crucial role in fighting the opioid crisis.

AAMA Statement: “Medical Acupuncture: A Promising Solution to the Opioid Crisis”

AAMA Statement: “Evidence-based approaches to the management of chronic back pain”

Acupuncture Versus Opioids for Pain Relief: An Expert Discussion (Medical Acupuncture)

The Opioid Crisis and Strategies: Acupuncture Can Have a Defined Role (Medical Acupuncture)

Acupuncture for Pain (American Family Physician)

Pain: Considering Complementary Approaches (Free eBook from the NCCIH)

Why People Are Choosing Acupuncture over Opioids for Pain Relief (HealthLine)

Acupuncture in the ED: a Feasible, Beneficial Non-Opioid Option for Pain (Medicine 2022)

Acupuncture in the ED: Offering Patients Safe and Effective Pain Treatment (Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City)

Acupuncture’s Role in Solving the Opioid Epidemic: Evidence, Cost-Effectiveness, and Care Availability for Acupuncture as a Primary, Non-Pharmacologic Method for Pain Relief and Management (Journal of Integrative Medicine)

Study: Family Physicians Who Learn Acupuncture Prescribe Fewer Opioids (American Academy of Family Physicians)

Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis