A new study by researchers at the University of Gothenberg, Sweden found that acupuncture may partially treat women with polcycstic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), the most common cause of infertility in women.

According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, PCOS affects between 10 and 20 percent of women.

The study, published in online in the American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that four months of acupuncture treatment combined with electrical stimulation reduced the levels of testosterone in women with PCOS by 25 percent.

According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, PCOS is a condition in which there is an imbalance of a woman's hormones. The syndrome results in high levels of male hormones, particularly testosterone, which may cause changes in the menstrual cycle, skin changes, small cysts in the ovaries, trouble getting pregnant, obesity and acne.

The researchers found that a low-level electrical current run through acupuncture needles appeared to stimulate muscles in a way similar to exercise.

The study showed that participates separately treated with exercise or acupuncture both experienced improvements in weight, testosterone levels, acne and menstrual regularity.

Acupuncture is an effective treatment for nasal congestion accompanied by post-nasal drip, called chronic rhinitis, according to a new study by researchers at Port Hospital in Hebei, China. The study, published in the Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, examined a group of 85 patients, and found that after two courses of treatment, or 30 acupuncture appointments, 96.5 percent of patients no longer had symptoms for chronic rhinitis. 

The study participants received acupuncture once a day, 15 times as a course of treatment.

According to the authors, patients with chronic rhinitis often do not respond well to medication, and if untreated, chronic rhinitis can last many years.

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Acupuncture may help treat children who have amblyopia, or lazy eye, according to a new study led by researchers at the Joint Shantou International Eye Center of Shantou University and Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Children who have amblyopia have reduced vision in one eye because the brain and the eye are not working together properly. According to the National Eye Institute, amblyopia is the most common cause of visual impairment in childhood, affecting about 2 to 3 percent of children in the United States.

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Spring has sprung across much of the United States, and with spring comes seasonal allergies. However, natural remedies, such as acupuncture can help relieve itchy eyes, sneezing, headaches and other allergy symptoms.

According to an article in Natural News, May 2009, acupuncture may “not only clear symptoms of allergies, but also help the body come into balance: clearing the underlying condition causing allergies and improving overall health.”

“Balancing and strengthening the body can be the best thing to decrease or even rid oneself of seasonal allergies altogether," wrote the author.

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