Acupuncture is effective for PTSD

(By Dr. Grace Rollins, DAc) In the 2024 study “Acupuncture for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” published in the peer-reviewed JAMA Psychiatry, researchers demonstrated that acupuncture significantly improved the symptoms of combat veterans with PTSD, far outperforming placebo "sham" acupuncture. This recent research builds upon a 2014 randomized controlled trial with similar findings.

Dr. Benjamin Hawes, DAc writes in the latest edition of Acupuncture Today: "These studies demonstrated that acupuncture offers a safe, feasible, and non-stigmatizing treatment option for individuals with PTSD. The treatment was associated with significant symptom relief, with effects comparable to those seen in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a leading psychotherapy for PTSD. Especially as it is non-pharmacological and may help overcome barriers to care, it could occupy a unique role for veterans with PTSD." As well as others with PTSD. 

In his article, Dr. Hawes links these results to the neuroplasticity-inducing power of acupuncture. Acupuncture drives changes in the functional connectivity of the brain, and has been shown to create changes in the limbic system, a region of the brain closely linked to the impacts of trauma. 

It takes commitment and a dedicated course of acupuncture sessions to create neuroplastic changes in the brain, but with the right help these changes are possible, even for patients with a difficult condition like PTSD.