There are no bounds to what Oriental medicine can treat; however, there are more effective methods of modern medicine to treat severe trauma and many life-threatening conditions.

What Can Oriental Medicine Treat?

The nature of Oriental Medicine allows it to treat a wide variety of conditions, including pain, headaches, digestive problems, menstrual cramps,  sports and work-related injuries, among many others. However, it generally can be used as the treatment of choice for sprains and strains, allergies, poor digestion, menstrual problems, menopause, headaches, neck and back pain, fatigue, stress, and other minor and self-limiting illnesses. Oriental Medicine is also a wonderful adjunct for speeding recovery from major trauma, surgery, and strokes, treating the side effects of cancer chemotherapy, enhancing the effectiveness of alcohol and substance abuse recovery programs.

California Occupational Survey

In 1996, an occupational survey was conducted under contract to the California State Acupuncture Committee in order to update the content of the California Acupuncture Licensing Exam. This survey identifed well over one hundred conditions or categories of conditions treated. The following is a top twenty-five conditions the Licensed Acupuncturists treated.

25 Commonly Treated Conditions

	•	Anxiety & Depression

	•	Arthritis, Tendonitis, & Joint pain

	•	Asthma & Allergies

	•	Auto Injuries

	•	Bladder and Kidney Infections

	•	Cardiac Palpitations (Irregular Heartbeat)

	•	Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

	•	Common Cold & Influenza

	•	Degenerative Disk Disorders

	•	Diet, Nutrition, & Weight Control

	•	Fibromyalgia

	•	Headaches & Migraines

	•	Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

	•	Indigestion, Gas, Bloating, Constipation

	•	Insomnia

	•	Menopause Symptoms

	•	Musculoskeletal pain

	•	Nausea

	•	Orthopedic Conditions

	•	Pain - other kinds

	•	PMS & Menstrual Irregularity

	•	Sports Injuries

	•	Tension / Stress Syndromes

	•	Tinnitus

	•	Work Injuries

Maryland Patient Survey

The Maryland Acupuncture Society contracted for a patient survey to be conducted in 1999, with the results being published in January, 2000. The Patient Satisfaction Survey - Final Report lists the following thirteen most common conditions for which patients sought treatment from an acupuncturist. Over 80% of the respondants also found these treatments to be very effective or moderately effective.

Thirteen Commonly and Effectively Treated Conditions

	•	Stress/Tension

	•	Depression/Mood

	•	Fatique/Energy

	•	Back Pain

	•	Other Musculoskeletal Pain

	•	Arthritis

	•	Migraine

	•	Other Headaches

	•	Female Concerns

	•	Gastrointestinal

	•	Allergies

	•	Asthma

	•	Health/Wholeness

World Health Organization

A World Health Organization Interregional Seminar on Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Acupuncture Anesthesia was held in Beijing ( Peking ) in June 1979, attended by participants from twelve countries.

The World Health Organization Interregional Seminar drew up the following provisional list of diseases that lend themselves to acupuncture treatment. The list is based on clinical experience, and not necessarily on controlled clinical research: furthermore, the inclusion of specific diseases are not meant to indicate the extent of acupuncture's efficacy in treating them.

The following is a list of conditions which the World Health Organization determined may respond to acupuncture.

Upper Respiratory Tract

	•	Acute sinusitis

	•	Acute rhinitis

	•	Common Cold

	•	Acute tonsillitis

Respiratory System

	•	Acute bronchitis

	•	Bronchial asthma (most effective in children and in patients without complicating diseases)

Disorders of the Eye

	•	Acute conjunctivitis

	•	Central retinitis

	•	Myopia (in children)

	•	Cataract (without complications)

Disorders of the Mouth

	•	Toothache, post-extraction pain

	•	Gingivitis

	•	Acute and chronic pharyngitis

Gastro-intestinal Disorders

	•	Spasms of esophagus and cardia

	•	Hiccough

	•	Gastroptosis

	•	Acute and chronic gastritis

	•	Gastric hyperacidity

	•	Chronic duodenal ulcer (pain relief)

	•	Acute duodenal ulcer (without complications)

	•	Acute and chronic colitis

	•	Acute bacillary dysentery

	•	Constipation

	•	Diarrhea

	•	Paralytic ileus

Neurological and Musculo-skeletal Disorders

	•	Headache and migraine

	•	Trigeminal neuralgia

	•	Facial palsy (early stage, i.e., within three to six months)

	•	Pareses following a stroke

	•	Peripheral neuropathies

	•	Sequelae of poliomyelitis (early stage, i.e., within six months)

	•	Meniere's disease

	•	Neurogenic bladder dysfunction

	•	Nocturnal enuresis

	•	Intercostal neuralgia

	•	Cervicobrachial syndrome

	•	"Frozen shoulder," "tennis elbow"

	•	Sciatica

	•	Low back pain

	•	Osteoarthritis

Conditions Treated

The most commone conditions treated effectively by Acupuncture include:

chronic pain

	•	neck and back pain

	•	migraine headaches

acute injury-related pain

	•	sprains

	•	strains

gastrointestinal problems

	•	indigestion

	•	ulcers

	•	constipation

	•	diarrhea

cardiovascular conditions

	•	high and low blood pressure

genitourinary problems

	•	menstrual irregularity

	•	infertility

	•	impotence

muscle and nerve conditions

	•	paralysis

	•	deafness

addictive Behaviours

	•	substance abuse

	•	overeating

	•	drug dependence

	•	smoking

surgery

	•	anesthesia