Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a technique in which practitioners stimulate specific points/areas on the body—most often by inserting thin needles through the skin. It is one of the practices used in traditional medicines in East Asian countries including China, Japan and Korea.

Some studies suggest that acupuncture may help ease types of pain that are often chronic such as low-back pain, neck pain, and osteoarthritis/knee pain. It also may help reduce the frequency of tension headaches and prevent migraine headaches. Therefore, acupuncture appears to be a reasonable option for people with chronic pain to consider.

Acupuncture is considered safe as relatively few complications from using acupuncture have been reported. It is noteworthy that improper delivery of treatments by unqualified provider is more likely to result in serious adverse events.