It is good news when we can let our patients know that scientific research is demonstrating our medicine’s effectiveness. Researchers at the University of York and the Hull York Medical School published a study in Brain Research demonstrating that acupuncture has a significant effect on specific neural structures; scientific analysis shows that it deactivates areas within the brain that are associated with the processing of pain. Dr Hugh MacPherson, of the Complementary Medicine Research Group in the University’s Department of Health Sciences, says: “These results provide objective scientific evidence that acupuncture has specific effects within the brain which hopefully will lead to a better understanding of how acupuncture works.”

Last summer, following research conducted in York, acupuncture was recommended for the first time by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as a treatment option for patients with lower back pain.  Current clinical trials at the University are investigating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and for depression. Recent studies in the US have also shown that acupuncture can be an effective treatment for migraines and osteoarthritis of the knee.
University of York (2010, February 5). Study maps effects of acupuncture on the brain. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 26, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204101736.htm