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Evidence
What the research says
An honest guide to where acupuncture is recognised, how it may work, and how safe it is.
Recognised by NICE
NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, advises the NHS on which treatments to use. Its guidance currently includes acupuncture as an option in these areas:
- Chronic primary pain. NICE's 2021 guideline on chronic pain says a single course of acupuncture can be considered for people aged 16 and over with chronic primary pain, within a traditional Chinese or Western acupuncture framework.
- Chronic tension-type headache. NICE's headaches guideline says a course of up to 10 sessions over 5 to 8 weeks can be considered to help prevent chronic tension-type headaches.
- Migraine. The same guideline (updated June 2025) says a course of up to 10 sessions over 5 to 8 weeks can be considered to help prevent migraine if the preventive medicines propranolol, topiramate and amitriptyline haven't worked, aren't tolerated or aren't suitable.
To be completely open: NICE's separate guideline on low back pain and sciatica (NG59) does not recommend acupuncture for that condition.
Guidance changes over time. Read it directly: NICE NG193, chronic pain · NICE CG150, headaches.
Where UK advertising rules accept the evidence
The Advertising Standards Authority, which regulates what clinics like mine can claim, accepts evidence that acupuncture can offer short-term relief of tension-type headaches, migraine, chronic low back pain, neck pain and jaw (TMJ) pain, and temporary relief of knee pain from osteoarthritis alongside other treatment. I stick to these rules, which is why you won't see me claim to cure anything.
- Acupuncture for headaches
- Acupuncture for migraine
- Acupuncture for back pain
- Acupuncture for neck pain
- Acupuncture for jaw (TMJ) pain
- Acupuncture for knee pain
How might it work?
Researchers are still exploring this. Suggested mechanisms include effects on the nervous system and the release of the body's own pain-relieving chemicals, such as endorphins, and responses in the connective tissue that the needles pass through. Chinese medicine describes the same effects in its own language, of qi flowing through the body's channels.
How safe is it?
Acupuncture is very safe when given by a properly trained practitioner. Two large UK studies published in the BMJ in 2001 looked at over 60,000 treatments between them, including more than 34,000 by British Acupuncture Council members, and found serious adverse events to be very rare. Minor, short-lived effects such as slight bruising or feeling tired afterwards were the most common.
Sources: MacPherson et al., BMJ 2001 · White et al., BMJ 2001 · ASA guidance on acupuncture
My promise
I'll always be honest about what acupuncture can and can't do, and I'll never suggest you stop medical treatment. If something needs a doctor, I'll say so.
More than symptoms
Many people also come simply to relax, take an hour for themselves and feel more like themselves. That matters too.
Go deeper
The research, explained
Plain-English guides to the key studies, each with its sources.
What NICE says about acupuncture
What NICE guidance actually says about acupuncture for chronic primary pain (NG193), tension-type headache and migraine (CG150), explained simply.
Read →Is acupuncture safe?
What a large 2001 BMJ study of 34,407 treatments found about acupuncture safety, the common minor side effects, and what to tell me before treatment.
Read →Acupuncture and tension-type headache: the Cochrane review
What the 2016 Cochrane review by Linde and colleagues found about acupuncture for preventing frequent tension-type headache, including its limits.
Read →Acupuncture and migraine prevention: the Cochrane review
What the 2016 Cochrane review found about acupuncture for preventing episodic migraine, compared with usual care, sham needling and preventive drugs.
Read →Acupuncture for chronic back and neck pain: the evidence
A clear look at the Vickers individual patient data meta-analyses on acupuncture for chronic back and neck pain, and how big the effects really are.
Read →Acupuncture, stress and wellbeing: what the research does and doesn't say
Acupuncture and mental wellbeing: what the Cochrane review found, why NICE doesn't recommend it for depression, and what to expect.
Read →From the British Acupuncture Council
The Scope of Acupuncture (March 2020) is the BAcC's report on acupuncture's place in UK healthcare, its safety record and the training its members complete. It's written by the profession's own body, so it's best read alongside the independent reviews above.
Research fact sheets
The British Acupuncture Council publishes plain-English summaries of the research on acupuncture across many health topics, in its Evidence A–Z. The BAcC notes it is currently reviewing and updating them. Alternatively, you're welcome to contact me to talk through a specific area you're interested in.
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