Researchers in Hong Kong have carried out a systematic review of twenty randomised controlled trials investigating the effects of acupuncture for insomnia. The majority of trials concluded that traditional acupuncture was significantly more effective for helping insomnia, than benzodiazepines, the mean effective rates being 91% and 75% respectively.
The authors conclude that acupuncture looks a promising intervention but methodological shortcomings in the studies reviewed mean the need now for large scale, high-quality trials.
(Traditional Needle Acupuncture Treatment for Insomnia: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials. Sleep Medicine, August 2009.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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