Acupuncture helps PTSD in Military Veterans

Acupuncture in the US

American researchers have shown that acupuncture helps posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans. In a randomised trial, 93 combat veterans aged 18 to 55 with PTSD, were assigned to either a true acupuncture group or to a sham acupuncture group. Participants were given up to 24 one-hour treatments over 15 weeks at an outpatient clinic in California. The primary outcome measure was change in PTSD symptom severity.

The results showed a large treatment effect for true acupuncture, and a moderate effect for sham, with a significant difference between the two groups. Treatment withdrawal rates were low, suggesting acupuncture was well-tolerated. The researchers conclude that the acupuncture intervention used in this study was clinically efficacious and favourably affected the psychobiology of PTSD . 

(Acupuncture for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of the American Medical Association-Psychiatry, 1 June 2024.)

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.