[Medical indications for acupuncture: Systematic review]

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Evidence-Based Practice
• Clinical Research

Background:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes a broad spectrum of indications for acupuncture.
• Robust scientific evidence is crucial to validate these acupuncture indications.
• The Strengthening Reporting of Complex Interventions (STRICTA) criteria were established in 2010 to standardize acupuncture clinical trials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture across various diseases.
• To identify pathologies where acupuncture is a scientifically supported therapeutic strategy.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a systematic review of studies published between 2010 and 2015.
• Selected only systematic reviews and meta-analyses of good or very good methodological quality, assessed by Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) criteria.
• Included 31 high-quality reviews for final analysis.

Main Results:

• The majority of selected reviews focused on chronic pain conditions within Neurology, Orthopaedics, and Rheumatology.
• Current evidence supports acupuncture's efficacy in managing headaches, migraines, back pain, cervical pain, and osteoarthritis.
• Evidence for other conditions remains inconclusive, necessitating further rigorous research.

Conclusions:

• Acupuncture is an effective treatment for several chronic pain conditions, supported by current scientific evidence.
• High-quality research is essential to establish the efficacy of acupuncture for a wider range of pathologies.
• Future studies should adhere to standardized criteria like STRICTA to ensure robust findings.