The ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture has been accepted worldwide as a legitimate medical therapy for hundreds of years, and new studies seem to appear every day that give proof of its effectiveness in alleviating or completely eliminating various kinds of physical ailments, including lower back pain, chronic arthritic pain, tobacco dependency, obesity, and pain from cancer and chemotherapy treatments.

Many patients turn to acupuncture to ameliorate stress-induced headaches; 46% of participants in an acupuncture study group reported that their headaches were drastically reduced after receiving treatment, compared with 4% of participants in the control group of the study (which did not receive acupuncture therapy) who reported a decrease in headaches.

Most recently, an MRI study was released claiming that acupuncture can reverse brain damage after a stroke. Post-stroke brain damage is caused by the sudden return of blood circulation in the brain after a period of severe stress caused by a lack of oxygen and circulation. Brain damage is evident when the tissues of the brain become inflamed from the sudden return of circulation. Scientific studies show that acupuncture lessens the severity of the damage by reducing swelling in the brain and allowing normal cognitive functions to resume.

“It is now current medical thought and understanding that most modern chronic diseases and conditions are caused by inflammation at some level in the body. Since acupuncture reduces inflammation, it continues to prove effective in treating a wide variety of health problems, especially those that elude allopathic treatment. It is our sworn duty as physicians to get the best care possible to our patients and therefore incumbent upon medical doctors to get better educated and inform their patients on this viable option.” says Michael Forman, DOM of Sound Acupuncture Miami

While some people may still feel hesitant to try acupuncture, data shows that about 6.5% of Americans have had an experience with acupuncture and that it is a widely practiced therapeutic method in the US. Acupuncture is considered to be a legitimate therapeutic practice in many Western societies, and the U.S. FDA even recognizes acupuncture needles as medical instruments and assures that the practice is both safe and effective.