Acupuncture
Course-based needling for chronic pain. Better than nothing in trials; barely better than sham — read the evidence line before booking.
Why
Fine-needle stimulation at defined points, delivered as a weekly course. The most defensible indication is chronic pain: the Cochrane review in chronic non-specific low-back pain found acupuncture beats no treatment for short-term pain relief and function, while the margin over sham needling is small and likely below clinical importance. That pattern — real benefit vs nothing, thin benefit vs sham — repeats across the acupuncture literature.
The program
Licensed practitioner, single-use sterile needles. Typical course: weekly sessions for 6–12 weeks, then reassess against a written baseline (pain score, function).
Practical
Cadence
Weekly sessions, 6–12 week course
What you'll need
Licensed acupuncturist; caution with anticoagulants or bleeding disorders
Ideal for
Chronic low-back pain or tension-type headache where first-line options (exercise, sleep, load management) are already in place.
Evidence
Cochrane 2020, 33 trials (n=8,270) — acupuncture improved pain and function vs no treatment immediately after a course; vs sham needling the difference was small and probably not clinically important. If you book it, judge it against your own baseline at week 8.