Flickr/Creative Commons/marniejoyceAnytime the word acupuncture comes up in conversation, many different opinions can emerge. Some say it worked wonders, others say it did nothing, and the results can range between those two testimonials.
Now, research compiling 29 studies involving over 18,000 people shows that the practice does help relieve pain from chronic headaches, backaches and arthritis -- and FOX 9 News asked Pat Culliton, a pioneer in the field of research and manager of Integrative Health Services at HCMC, to discuss the data.
Watch the video for more information.
The researchers concluded that the needle remedy worked better than usual pain treatment and slightly better than fake acupuncture. The interesting part of this study is that researchers still believe the "placebo effect" could be in full force here.
But, acupuncturists will argue even if that's the case, there's no reason not to offer it if it makes people feel better.
The new analysis was published online Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine.
