Recognition

The explosive growth of acupuncture in North America in the past two decades has made it the most thoroughly researched and documented of the alternative medical practices. The National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization have recognized acupuncture’s efficacy for a growing list of ailments.

In 1996, the FDA changed the status of acupuncture needles from class III (for “investigational use”) to Class II – the same rating as scalpels and other medical devices. In January 2002, a Ruhr-University study funded by Germany's largest public health insurance companies released their findings of the largest study ever done on the efficacy of acupuncture. Of 40,000 patients surveyed, 90% reported relief from pain and more than half of those found relief within the first two weeks. No studies have found any negative effects.