Acupuncture for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Acupuncture for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), is a long-term illness characterised by extreme fatigue or tiredness after physical or mental activities that doesn't go away with rest and can't be explained by an underlying medical condition.

Symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome can vary from person to person, and the severity of symptoms can fluctuate from day to day.

What is our clinical experience?

Based on feedback collected from over 745 initial appointments for Chronic Fatigue & Thyroid Disorders, 87% of our patients reported improved quality of life after their first 5 appointments. See our detailed benchmarking statistics.

Initial
Consults
745
Average
Appointments
5
Improved
Quality of Life
87%
Refer Family &
Friends
94%

What does the research say?

The following insights are obtained from systematic reviews and analysis of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of Chinese medicine and acupuncture for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Consult with our practitioners for personalised care and advice.

Although well-conducted clinical research can help members of the public to make better-informed decisions about their healthcare, we cannot claim that any particular treatment may be effective for any individual person.

When you consult with our Chinese medicine practitioners, you'll receive personalised advice and treatment based on your symptoms and Chinese medicine diagnosis.

Scientific References

Browse our collection of scientific clinical research on acupuncture for chronic fatigue syndrome.

It includes recent and reputable papers published by peer-reviewed journals within the last 10 years.



Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine

2020, Apr 1

Acupuncture for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Overview of Systematic Reviews
Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine

We found that acupuncture on treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has the advantage for efficacy and safety compared to conventional treatments such as drugs, counseling psychology and physical therapy. Acupuncture has shown to have less side effects and drug resistance. A combined therapy of Western medicine and Chinese medicine has proven to be most effective for patients.

Yin ZH, Wang LJ, Cheng Y, Chen J, Hong XJ, Zhao L, Liang FR. Full Article

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

2020, Dec 02

Advances in Clinical Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Currently, there are many methods for treating CFS with TCM, showing its advantages. On one hand, treatments according to syndrome differentiation are diverse and involve herbal decoctions and proprietary Chinese medicines. External treatments include moxibustion, acupuncture, tuina, cupping, and other treatments. Combination therapies include two or more external treatments combined and internal and external treatments combined, which are often better than monotherapies and can remedy deficiencies. However, the clinical manifestations of CFS are different. Although fatigue is the main manifestation, there are individual differences in the appearance of insomnia or muscle pain in some patients. Treatments according to syndrome differentiation can provide patients with individualized treatments. On the other hand, TCM often has the advantages of simplicity, effectiveness, convenience, and a lower cost.

Zhang X, Wang M, Zhou S Full Article

Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine

2020, Jun 25

Effectiveness of Soyo-san (Xiaoyao-san) and its Modifications on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine

We found that Soyo-san (Xiaoyao-san) and its modifications were effective for improvement of general symptoms and fatigue severity in CFS post-treatment.

Kim J, Song J, Nam D Full Article

Herbal Formula Science

2020, May 31

Is Gwibitang and its modification beneficial for alleviating symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Herbal Formula Science

We found an evidence that Gwibitang could be beneficial for managing and alleviating main symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients.

Nam, Donghyun Full Article

Acupuncture in Medicine

2019, Jun 17

Acupuncture for chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Acupuncture in Medicine British Medical Acupuncture Society

The review indicated that acupuncture was more effective than sham acupuncture and other interventions.

Zhang Q, Gong J, Dong H, Xu S, Wang W, Huang G Full Article

World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion

2018, Dec

Acupuncture on back-shu points of five zang for chronic fatigue syndrome: A randomized control trial
World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies

Acupuncture on back-shu points of five zang can significantly improve the somatic fatigue and mental fatigue of the patients, and at the same time improve their psychological status. Significant therapeutic effect was found on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Compared with the control group, the acupuncture treatment can significantly improve the patient's somatic fatigue, mental fatigue and psychological status.

CHEN S, LIU R, WU B, CHEN S, GUO F, XUE X, WANG J Full Article

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies

2017, Mar 23

Acupuncture and moxibustion for chronic fatigue syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine: a systematic review and meta-analysis
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies

In the treatment of CFS, CbAM and SAM may have better effect than other treatments. However, the included trials have relatively poor quality, hence high quality studies are needed to confirm our finding.

Wang T, Xu C, Pan K, Xiong H. Full Article

PLOS One

2017, Apr 5

Does Tai Chi relieve fatigue? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PLOS One Public Library of Science

The results suggest that Tai Chi could be an effective alternative and /or complementary approach to existing therapies for people with fatigue. However, the quality of the evidence was only moderate and may have the potential for bias. There is still absence of adverse events data to evaluate the safety of Tai Chi. Further multi-center RCTs with large sample sizes and high methodological quality, especially carefully blinded design, should be conducted in future research.

Yu Xiang, Liming Lu, Xiankun Chen, Zehuai Wen Full Article


Yin Tang
“It is by virtue of the twelve channels that human life exists, that disease arises, that human beings can be treated and illness cured. The twelve channels are where beginners start and masters end.” The Classic of Acupuncture
Circa 1st Century BCE