Smoking cessation
A Cochrane review for smoking cessation included 18 reports, with 20
trials, that compared acupuncture with various other interventions.^114
Acupuncture did not show any advantage over sham acupuncture.
Stroke
Systematic reviews and one RCT would appear to indicate that there is
some effect of acupuncture on the rate of recovery of stroke patients.115–117
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction
A small systematic review of three RCTs of acupuncture for temporo-
mandibular joint dysfunction suggested that the treatment provided some
symptomatic relief comparable with that provided by orthodox measures.^118
A caveat of ‘more rigorous investigation needed’ was expressed by the
authors.
Weight loss
Contrary to popular opinion, there is no firm evidence that acupuncture is
effective in promoting weight loss.
The effects of pressing ear points at ear meridian points on obesity-
related parameters including body weight, body fat, body mass index and
waist:hip circumference was studied in two groups of non-obese healthy and
obese volunteers.^119 The authors concluded that further studies were needed
with larger sample sizes and RCTs with both healthy and obese volunteers.
Other conditions
Conditions for which acupuncture has been used but for which there is no
robust evidence include glaucoma^120 and Bell’s palsy.^121
It would appear that acupuncture can be shown to be effective in the treat-
ment of various forms of pain, and nausea and vomiting. Evidence for other
applications is sparse and the Scottish verdict of ‘not proven’ would seem to
be the most appropriate in these circumstances.
Availability of acupuncture
UK NHS
Medical opinion
A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 650 UK GPs selected from
the BMA database and representing 1.6% of the country’s GP population.^122
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