Acupuncture-a national heritage of China to the world: International clinical research advances from the past decade

Abstract

Acupuncture originated in China and is an important component of traditional Chinese medicine. The elucidation of its anesthetic mechanisms, the medical needs of Western societies, as well as the proven therapeutic effects of this technique have made it the most widely used medical practice in the world. The concept of evidence-based medicine has been introduced in acupuncture research for technical improvement and the production of high-quality clinical evidence. Upon reviewing the acupuncture clinical research over the past 10 years, we found the gradually increasing range of diseases that it benefits, from pain management to neoplasms and genitourinary, digestive, and mental disorders. Acupuncture is included in a number of international guidelines for clinical practice. However, high-quality clinical evidence to support the efficacy and effectiveness of acupuncture is lacking as a result of multiple exceptional clinical trials conducted by Western researchers that have yielded antagonistic results. Future clinical research should focus on exploring objective evaluation methods for studying the therapeutic effects of acupuncture.