HEALTH specialists at the University of York have found acupuncture treatment can help treat chronic pain and depression.

Researchers found acupuncture gives more than a “placebo effect”, and the results are published in the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Journals Library.

The team worked with scientists from the UK and US to bring together the results of 29 clinical trials about acupuncture, and their report shows adding acupuncture to standard care significantly reduced headaches and migraine attacks, reduced the severity of neck and back pain, and reduced the pain of osteoarthritis.

Professor of Acupuncture Research Hugh MacPherson said: “There has been a question mark for many years over whether policy and decision makers should provide wider access to acupuncture.

“Our aim was to bring together data from high quality clinical trials and provide a robust evidence base that will help reduce this uncertainly and support commissioners and health professionals in making informed decisions backed up with research.”

“Our new data provides a significant step forward in treating chronic pain and managing depression, because patients and health professionals can now make decisions on acupuncture with more confidence.”