Acupuncture Shows Lasting Cognitive Benefits for Cancer Survivors

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine has partnered with Elsevier to better evaluate and advance research that brings Chinese medicine and modern biomedicine together. Clinical innovations like acupuncture-assisted anesthesia—used to reduce anesthesia dosage and support faster recovery—highlight how integrative approaches are being studied, refined, and applied at scale worldwide, with increasing interest from international hospitals and researchers.

A phase 2 randomized clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has found that acupuncture can improve cognitive abilities in breast cancer survivors experiencing "brain fog."

A new double-blind, randomized controlled trial suggests laser acupuncture may significantly reduce fatigue and improve sleep quality in people undergoing long-term hemodialysis. Patients receiving laser acupuncture at common clinical points showed faster recovery after dialysis and better sleep scores within weeks—benefits that held even when accounting for dialysis timing and depression. The treatment is non-invasive, brief, and well tolerated, highlighting laser acupuncture as a promising supportive option for managing post-dialysis fatigue and sleep disruption.

A new retrospective study from Korea suggests contralateral acupuncture (Geoja technique) may be especially effective for one-sided musculoskeletal pain—particularly when a clear left–right pulse strength difference is present. Among 109 patients, those with pulse strength differences experienced significantly greater pain reduction and improved range of motion compared with those without pulse differences.