Dr. Katherine Echo Kim, L.Ac. Specializing in Mindfulness-Based Acupuncture & Nutritional Support | Pioneers of Environmental Acupuncture

Acupuncture Evidence-Based Research

Evidence Base & Clinical Adoption

Acupuncture is one of the most widely used traditional and complementary medical modalities globally, with formal integration or regulation reported in the majority of WHO-member countries.

Acupuncture is among the most extensively studied complementary therapies, with over 40,000 indexed publications in PubMed.

U.S. federal health agencies recognize acupuncture as an evidence-based, non-pharmacologic option for pain management, including in the context of reducing opioid exposure.

Acupuncture has demonstrated cost-effectiveness for primary headache disorders.
The National Cancer Institute recognizes acupuncture as a supportive modality in cancer care for symptom management, including pain, nausea, and fatigue.

Included in National Clinical Guidelines

Acupuncture is incorporated as a recommended non-pharmacologic strategy in clinical guidelines issued by:

• The Joint Commission (2015)
• American Society of Clinical Oncology (2016)
• American College of Physicians for low back pain (2017)
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2017)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for pain management (2019)
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services coverage policies (2020 forward)

Selected Peer-Reviewed References

• Chan et al., Scientific Reports, 2017. Safety of acupuncture: overview of systematic reviews.
• Nielsen et al., Pain Medicine, 2022. Evidence-based nonpharmacologic strategy for acute pain care.
• Qaseem et al., Annals of Internal Medicine, 2017. ACP clinical practice guideline for low back pain.
• Van Hal et al., StatPearls, 2023. Acupuncture overview.
• WHO Global Report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 2019.
• Witt et al., Cephalalgia, 2008. Cost-effectiveness for headaches.
• Zeliadt et al., Medical Care, 2020. Outcomes in 11,406 U.S. veterans.