You may soon see a few needles next to your doctor’s stethoscope. The ancient art of acupuncture is gaining respect among western doctors who in the past haven’t recognized it as a legitimate medical practice.

New research analyzing a series of studies on more than 18,000 adult patients shows acupuncture actually worked better than other types of pain therapy on several conditions from headaches to arthritis.

Dr. Randall Snook of Advanced Integrative Medicine in Lone Tree says adding acupuncture is yielding successful results in patients who suffer from neck pain and other ailments. “There’s been evidence it can treat diabetes to a certain extent by activating the pancreas and the liver system and we’ve seen lowered blood pressure with it.”

Dr. Snook has also used acupuncture to successfully treat infertility problems.

Even the U.S. military is using acupuncture to help treat pain from war wounds and some states, like California, are expected to push for acupuncture coverage in health insurance plans.

Some private insurance plans already cover acupuncture but Medicare does not.

If you want to read more about the latest studies on acupuncture you can visit archinte.jamanetwork.com

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