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Acupuncture & Acne

Of all the alternative therapies, acupuncture has been shown in controlled scientific studies to be most effective in helping to treat hormonal disturbances. Acupuncture has, of course, traditionally been successfully employed in China to treat most illnesses but in recent years, there have been several interesting controlled scientific studies demonstrating the clinical value of acupuncture for acne sufferers. 

For instance, one study concluded that auricular acupuncture (treatment through the ear) offered a valuable alternative therapy for hormone disorders and was more effective than hormone therapy with no side effects(1) .

Traditional acupuncturists treat the whole person rather than a disease and therefore attempt to get to the root cause of the problem rather than treating the symptoms and, like other holistic practitioners, will consider all lifestyle and environmental factors before commencing treatment. 

In another study, it was demonstrated that Electro-Acupuncture treatment (EAT) successfully helped regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary function and led to normal secretion of hormones in women with polycystitic ovaries and alleviation of their accompanying acne (2). 

(1) Auricular acupuncture in the treatment of female infertility.
Gerhard I; Postneek F Department for Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproduction, Women's Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Germany.Gynaecol Endocrinol (ENGLAND) Sep 1992,6 (3) p171
(2) Changes in serum FSH, LH and ovarian follicular growth during electroacupuncture for induction of ovulation] Yu J; Zheng HM; Ping SM. Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih Apr 1989, 9 (4) p199-202, 19