What conditions does Acupuncture treat……
According to The World Health Organization (WHO)

By John A. Amaro D.C., FIAMA, Dipl.Ac., L.Ac

In contemporary applications of acupuncture in North America, it is becoming increasingly common to hear patient complaints who are being challenged by their insurance carrier saying acupuncture is not effective for a particular situation and therefore coverage is denied. Of course it is obvious insurance companies are in the business to minimize costs and to escalate productivity and profit. As a result, it is not uncommon or unlikely that our patients will be denied coverage only because the insurance carrier has deemed acupuncture is not an effective or approved treatment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) whose authority concerning health related matters internationally cannot be challenged, has compiled a list of symptoms, syndromes, disease processes, pathologies, traumas, and conditions which have definitely been proven as effectively treated by acupuncture. In another category, diseases, symptoms and conditions which have shown definite therapeutic effects, but more proof is necessary to establish acupuncture as mainstream are listed. Should a patient, insurance company or curious patient or colleague require proof of acupuncture’s effectiveness, the following list is something you will want to keep on file. Its use will be inevitable.

In an official released report “Acupuncture review and analysis of reports on controlled clinical trialsu201D;of The World Health Organization (WHO) listed the following symptoms, diseases and conditions have been proven through controlled trials to be an effective treatment by acupuncture:

Low back pain • Neck pain • Sciatica • Tennis Elbow • Knee pain,
Periarthritis of the shoulder • Sprain • Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders),
Headache • Dental pain • Tempromandibular (TMJ) dysfunction,
Rheumatoid arthritis • Postoperative pain • Induction of labour,
Correction of malposition of fetus (breech presentation),
Morning sickness • Nausea and vomiting • Post operative pain,
Stroke • Essential hypertension • Primary hypotension • Renal colic,
Leucopenia • Adverse reactions to radiation or chemotherapy
Allergic rhinitis including Hay fever •  Biliary colic •
Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
Acute bacillary dysentery • Primary Dysmenorrhea • Acute epigastralgia
Peptic Ulcer • Acute and Chronic gastritis.

The foregoing list is absolute concerning acupuncture’s effectiveness however the report continues with three more categories of acupuncture effectiveness:

  1. Diseases, symptoms and conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but further proof needed. (68 specific conditions) These conditions are effectively treated as in the first category, it is just more trials are necessary to establish the proof scientifically.
  2. Diseases, symptoms and conditions reporting some therapeutic effects which acupuncture is worth trying. (9 conditions)
  3. Diseases, symptoms and conditions which may be tried provided the practitioner has special modern medical knowledge and adequate monitoring equipment. (8 conditions)

Compliments of: John A. Amaro D.C., FIAMA, Dipl.Ac, L.Ac. DrAmaro@IAMA.edu