Research from Taiwan suggests that acupuncture improves markers of renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease. A total of 59 such patients were randomised to receive either acupuncture or sham treatment. Sessions were given once a week for 12 weeks.
At the end of the treatment period, levels of serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate were found to have improved significantly in the acupuncture group compared with the sham control group. The authors of this feasibility study say that further investigation is now warranted.
(Acupuncture on Renal Function in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Single-Blinded, Randomized, Preliminary Controlled Study. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 1 August 2017.)