Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to decrease inflammation and reduce pain associated with prostatitis. Modern research shows that acupuncture is a promising therapy for relieving symptoms in chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. In addition to pain symptoms, men often suffer from negative cognitive, behavioral, sexual, or emotional consequences. A 2016 systematic review published evaluated seven trials involving 471 patients. The evidence supports acupuncture as an effective treatment for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome which affects over 15% of adult men worldwide. The meta-analysis indicated that compared with sham acupuncture and medicines such as Levofloxacin, Ibuprofen, and Tamsulosin, acupuncture was more effective at reducing the total NIH Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index score. Acupuncture showed to improve symptoms such as pain, voiding and general quality of life.
A 2019 Cochrane system review evaluated 38 studies including 3290 participants across 23 comparisons. The analysis suggested that acupuncture can lead to a meaningful reduction in prostatitis symptoms compared to sham acupuncture and standard medical therapy with having less adverse effects.
References:
Qin, Z., Wu, J., Zhou, J., & Liu, Z. (2016). Systematic Review of Acupuncture for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome. Medicine, 95(11), e3095.
Lei, Y., He, X., Wang, J., Gong, X., Zheng, W., Xue, Y., Li, Y., Zhang, B., Ma, J., & Xue, C. (2019). Effectiveness comparisons of acupuncture for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: A Bayesian network meta-analysis protocol. Medicine, 98(17), e15199. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000015199
Liu, B. P., Wang, Y. T., & Chen, S. D. (2016). Effect of acupuncture on clinical symptoms and laboratory indicators for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International urology and nephrology, 48(12), 1977–1991.