Allison Bailey, MD: Benefits of medical acupuncture

Medical acupuncture is the clinical discipline of acupuncture as practiced by a physician who is also trained and licensed in Western medicine. The medical acupuncture physician uniquely offers a comprehensive approach to health care that combines classic and modern forms of acupuncture with conventional medicine.

Acupuncture is the most researched area of what is called alternative or integrative medicine, a medical practice that has not been traditionally taught in the West. There is now a lot of evidence that acupuncture can have a drug-free, non-toxic effect on treating various pain conditions, from migraine headaches, to back and neck pain to shoulder pain. Evidence also shows it can treat nerve problems, including carpal tunnel syndrome.