BACKGROUND: Acupuncture has been widely used for a range of neurological disorders. Despite its popularity, the evidence to support the use of acupuncture is contradictory. METHODS: This review was designed to summarize and to evaluate the available evidence of acupuncture for neurological disorders. RESULTS: Most of the reviewed studies suffer from lack of methodological rigor. Owing to paucity and poor quality of the primary studies, no firm conclusion could be drawn on the use of acupuncture for epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ataxic disorders, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal cord injury. For stroke rehabilitation, the evidence from recent high-quality trials and previous systematic reviews is not convincing. CONCLUSION: More rigorous trials are warranted to establish acupuncture's role in neurological disorders.
BACKGROUND: Acupuncture has been widely used for a range of neurological disorders. Despite its popularity, the evidence to support the use of acupuncture is contradictory. METHODS: This review was designed to summarize and to evaluate the available evidence of acupuncture for neurological disorders. RESULTS: Most of the reviewed studies suffer from lack of methodological rigor. Owing to paucity and poor quality of the primary studies, no firm conclusion could be drawn on the use of acupuncture for epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ataxic disorders, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal cord injury. For stroke rehabilitation, the evidence from recent high-quality trials and previous systematic reviews is not convincing. CONCLUSION: More rigorous trials are warranted to establish acupuncture's role in neurological disorders.