A Chinese research team looking at whether acupuncture benefits prostatitis, has concluded it offers long-lasting and clinically significant improvements for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. A total of 68 men aged 18 to 50, were randomised to receive either eight weeks of acupuncture or eight weeks of non-insertive sham needling. Both groups were followed up for a further 24 weeks.
At weeks 8, 20 and 32, pain scores differed significantly between the two groups, with the acupuncture group exhibiting significant improvements. Most secondary outcome measures were also better in the acupuncture group.
(Acupuncture for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome: A Randomized, Sham Acupuncture Controlled Trial. Journal of Urology, October 2018.)