From arthritis to sports injuries, back and neck pain to headaches, acupuncture has been long known for its ability to decrease pain. Data compiled from 29 studies and nearly 18,000 people (the largest study to date), found that acupuncture was significantly better at relieving pain than not having treatment at all or receiving a sham procedure.

The lead author of the study, researcher Andrew Vickers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York said “We thought for a long time that the reason why acupuncture worked was just because people believed it worked. We now know that the effect of acupuncture goes above and beyond the placebo effect. Acupuncture is a reasonable option for chronic pain.”

Read the full article here: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-10/acupuncture-relieves-pain-in-largest-study-of-treatment