Life-threatening adverse reactions after acupuncture: A systematic review

Acupuncture is amongst the oldest forms of medical treatment. Many proponents feel that this fact sufficiently demonstrates its safety. While traditional use and acceptance renders frequent adverse reactions unlikely, we must insist on scientific rather than historical proof, particularly for rare yet serious events. In particular, the present popularity of acupuncture (e.g., Eisenberg et al., 1993; Fisher and Ward, 1994; MacLennan et al., 1996) and its general acceptance both with patients (Ernst, 1995a) and doctors (Ernst et al., 1995) seems to necessitate a systematic investigation of safety aspects. This review summarises the published evidence on serious, potentially life-threatening complications allegedly caused by acupuncture.

• Epidemiology and Determinants of Health
  • Epidemiology
• Population(s)
  • General HIV+ population
  • General HIV- population
  • Other