In both studies, acupuncture produced markedly fewer side effects than the medication. Acupuncture can also produce effective complementary or adjunctive care. Recovering stroke patients who received acupuncture in addition to physical therapy recovered more rapidly and to a greater extent than did patients treated with physical therapy alone. Drugs that block morphine action also inhibit acupuncture analgesia. The discovery that different frequencies of electroacupuncture release different classes of endorphins in the body led to the design of electroacupuncture devices that automatically switch back and forth between high and low frequencies to maximize the level of pain relief.
Acupuncture also stimulates blood flow and enhances immune system function.