Which conditions can be treated with acupuncture?

The World Health Organization (WHO) published a report in 2003 which lists diseases and conditions that can be treated with acupuncture. The diseases or conditions for which acupuncture therapy has been tested and proven effective according to WHO, can be divided into two categories as shown below.

1. Diseases, symptoms, or conditions for which acupuncture has been proven to effective therapy, through controlled trials. (Indicated with an *)

2. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been demonstrated, but for which further evidence is required. This does not mean that acupuncture would not be effective for other complaints, only insufficient research has been done on them.

Respiratory diseases

• Sore throat (including tonsillitis)
• Bronchial asthma
• Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever

Gastrointestinal and liver disorders

• Nausea and vomiting *
• Acute pain in the upper abdomen (with peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis and gastro-spasm) *
• Dysentery, acute bacillary *
• Biliary colic *
• Ulcerative colitis, chronic
• Pain due to endoscopic examination
• Hepatitis B virus
• Gastro-kinetic disorder
• Diabetes mellitus, non-insulin dependent
• Gallstones
• Gallbladder inflammation, chronic, with acute exacerbation
• Abdominal pain (in acute gastroenteritis or as a result of gastrointestinal spasms)

Urinary tract and genitalia

• Renal colic *
• Urolithiasis (urinary tract stones)
• Retention of urine, traumatic
• Recurring lower urinary tract infection
• Prostatitis, chronic
• Polycystic ovary syndrome

Cardiovascular diseases

• High blood pressure, essential *
• Low blood pressure, primary *
• Leukopenia *
• Vascular dementia
• Raynaud’s syndrome, primary
• Stroke
• Pain wth Thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger disease)
• Hyperlipaemia
• Epistaxis (nosebleed), simple (without generalized or localized disease)
• Cardiac neurosis

Movement device

• Sciatica*
• Periarthritis of shoulder *
• Neck pain *
• Lower back pain*
• Knee pain *
• Tietze syndrome
• Temporomandibular joint disorders
• Stiff neck
• Back pain, acute
• Radicular and pseudo-radicular pain syndrome
• Tennis elbow
• Sprain
• Arthrosis Gouty Arthritis

Nervous system and senses

• Depression (including depressive neurosis and post-stroke depression) *
• Post-operative pain *
• Tourette syndrome
• Schizophrenia
• Sympathetic reflex dystrophy
• Neuralgia, post-herpetic
• Meniere’s disease
• Eye pain from subconjunctival injection
• Earache
• Cranio-cerebral injury, closed
• Competition stress syndrome

Skin disorders

• Itching
• Neuro-dermatitis
• Herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpes virus 3)
• Acne vulgaris

Head and neck area

• Headache*
• Facial pain (including cranio-mandibular disorders) *
• Dental pain (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction) *
• Facial cramps
• Bell’s palsy

Rheumatism problems

• Rheumatoid arthritis*
• Sjögren’s syndrome
• Fibromyalgia and fasciitis

Gynecological complaints

• Dysmenorrhea, primary *
• Morning sickness *
• Premenstrual Syndrome
• Female infertility
• Hypo-ovarianism
• Lactation, deficiency
• Childbirth pain
• Female urethral syndrome

Others

• Side effects to radiotherapy and / or chemotherapy *
• Insomnia
• Overweight
• Tobacco dependence (nicotine addiction)
• Alcohol addiction and detoxification
• Dependence on opium, cocaine and heroin
• Post-operative recovery
• Sexual dysfunction in men, non-organic
• Cancer pain

Problems in children

• Whooping cough (whooping cough)
• Post-extubation for children