SAFETY OF ACUPUNCTURE

I have been asked about acupuncture’s safety many times. The following information is able to answer this question clearly and firmly.

Generally speaking, acupuncture treatment is safe if it is performed properly by a well-trained practitioner. Unlike many drugs, it is non-toxic, and adverse reactions are minimal. ----- Acupuncture: review and analysis of reports on controlled clinical trials. The World Health Organization. 2002.

454,920 patients with headache, low back pain and /or osteoarthritis accepted acupuncture treatments. 7.9% of them had minor adverse events: needling pain, hematoma and bleeding. 0.003% had severe adverse events: pneumothorax, acute hyper- or hypotensive crisis, asthma attack and aggravation of suicidal thoughts. It indicated that acupuncture provided by qualified therapists is safe, and patients benefited from the treatment. ---- Acupuncture for chronic pain within the research program of 10 German Health Insurance Funds—–Basic results from an observational study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2007.

All the reviews have suggested that adverse events are rare and often minor. Safety of Acupuncture: Overview of Systematic Reviews. Published at www.nature.com/scientificreports. 2017.

Relatively few complications from using acupuncture have been reported. However, complications have resulted from use of nonsterile needles and improper delivery of treatments. ----National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health of National Institute of Health. 2020.