Scientific Studies

Summary: Brain scans (functional MRI) were conducted on patients with chronic carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS) and findings showed that areas in the brain associated with pain reduction were stimulated with acupuncture treatments for CTS.
Source: Acupuncture-evoked response in somatosensory and prefrontal cortices predicts immediate pain reduction in carpal tunnel syndrome.
Maeda Y, Kettner N, Lee J, Kim J, Cina S, Malatesta C, Gerber J, McManus C, Im J, Libby A,
Mezzacappa P, Morse LR, Park K, Audette J, Napadow V.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:795906. doi: 10.1155/2013/795906. Epub 2013 Jun 17.
Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23843881

Summary: There is a direct correlation between acupuncture treatments and stimulation of brain regions associated with cognition and emotions.
Source: Brain encoding of acupuncture sensation--coupling on-line rating with fMRI.
Napadow V, Dhond RP, Kim J, LaCount L, Vangel M, Harris RE, Kettner N, Park K.
Neuroimage. 2009 Sep;47(3):1055-65. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.05.079. Epub 2009 Jun 13.
Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500677

Summary: Acupuncture, using specifically defined acupuncture points, prevents the release of a neuropeptide associated with stress (rat model).
Source: Daily Mail and Experimental Biology and Medicine
Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2076923/Acupuncture-really-reduce-stress-levels-scientists-claim-alternative-therapy-experiment.html
Acupuncture at ST36 prevents chronic stress-induced increases in neuropeptide Y in rat.
Eshkevari L, Egan R, Phillips D, Tilan J, Carney E, Azzam N, Amri H, Mulroney SE.
Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2012 Jan;237(1):18-23. doi: 10.1258/ebm.2011.011224. 
Epub 2011 Dec 7.

Listen: Lecture at San Francisco’s prestigious Commonwealth Club. Click top right on website to hear Dr.John Nieter’s talk “Stay Sharp: Mental acuity and traditional Chinese medicine”
see link http://www.commonwealthclub.org/node/64541

Summary: Acupuncture and cupping improved moderate insomnia in college students.
Source: Acupuncture plus cupping for treating insomnia in college students.
Zhang YF, Ren GF, Zhang XC.
J Tradit Chin Med. 2010 Sep;30(3):185-9.
Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21053624

Summary: Brain scans of Alzheimers patients showed that acupuncture can stimulate areas of the brain involved in cognition
Source: Wang Z, Nie B, Li D, Zhao Z, Han Y, et al. (2012) Effect of Acupuncture in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease: A Functional MRI Study. PLoS ONE 7(8): e42730. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0042730
Link: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0042730

Summary: Brain cell growth can be induced in mice treated with acupuncture.
Source: Acupuncture improves cognitive deficits and regulates the brain cell proliferation of SAMP8 mice Haiyan Chenga, et al.  Neuroscience Letters,
Volume 432, Issue 2, 20 February 2008, Pages 111–116
Link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304394007012554

Summary: Patients with vascular dementia were tested for a biological marker linked with cognitive function. Acupuncture treatments showed a positive effect on cognitive function (decreased marker, increased cognition).
Source: Influence of acupuncture on cognitive function and markers of oxidative DNA damage in patients with vascular dementia.
Shi GX, Liu CZ, Li QQ, Zhu H, Wang LP.
J Tradit Chin Med. 2012 Jun;32(2):199-202.
Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22876443

Summary: Acupuncture can be considered an effective treatment for PMS
Source: Importance of acupuncture on premenstrual syndrome.
Anil A, Peker T, Göktaş T, Kilic S, Erbaş D.
Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2012;39(2):209-13.
Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=22905466

Summary: Review of acupuncture and pain
Source: National Institutes of Health
Link: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/acupuncture-for-pain.htm
Note: The studies mentioned above were for acupuncture only and did not include herbal remedies, considered an integral part of Oriental Medicine treatments.

Summary: The military is using acupuncture as alternative to painkillers.
Source: Stars and Stripes
Link: http://www.stripes.com/military-turns-to-acupuncture-as-alternative-to-prescription-painkillers-1.116167

Summary: Acupuncture and PTSD
Source: Acupuncture for posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials and prospective clinical trials.
Kim YD, Heo I, Shin BC, Crawford C, Kang HW, Lim JH.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:615857. doi: 10.1155/2013/615857. Epub 2013 Feb 6.
Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23476697

Summary: Two studies about palliative care in hospital settings, alleviation of nausea, anxiety, side effects of medications, pain
Source: Kaiser Permanente and European Association for Palliative Care
Links: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3042334/
http://pmj.sagepub.com/content/13/2/163.extract

Summary: Acupuncture and constipation
Source: Short and long-term efficacy of combining Fuzhengliqi mixture with acupuncture in treatment of functional constipation.
Zhang C, Guo L, Guo X, Li G, Guo X.
J Tradit Chin Med. 2013 Feb;33(1):51-9.
Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23596812

Summary: Oriental Medicine and “perimenopausal brainfog”
Source: Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, Oregon
Link: http://www.itmonline.org/arts/brainfog.htm

Summary: Oriental Medicine and gastrointestinal issues. Non-peer reviewed
Source: Acufinder.com
Link: https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Gastrointestinal+Disorders+in+Chinese+Medicine