Little point in acupuncture to treat pain

Acupuncture is no better than sham "placebo" treatments at controlling pain and may even be harmful, a study has found.

At least five patients are known to have died after undergoing the ancient Chinese needle therapy, while dozens of others have suffered infections and trauma, researchers said.

But there was little "truly convincing evidence" that the treatment worked, other than by stimulating a placebo response.

Professor Edzard Ernst, from the Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, said: "Many systematic reviews of acupuncture for pain management are available, yet they only support few indications, and contradictions abound."

He added: "Acupuncture remains associated with serious adverse effects."