Acupuncture for Parkinson’s Disease: What the Latest Research Shows
Can acupuncture help people with Parkinson’s disease?
Growing research suggests that acupuncture may be a useful complementary treatment for some motor and non-motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease.
A major review published in Frontiers in Medicine in September 2026 examined current research on acupuncture for Parkinson’s disease, including randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and research investigating how acupuncture may affect the brain and nervous system (Qi et al., 2026).
The findings are encouraging. Research suggests that acupuncture, particularly when combined with conventional Parkinson’s treatment, may improve movement, activities of daily living, constipation, anxiety, and quality of life (Lee & Lim, 2017; Noh et al., 2017; Qi et al., 2026).
The evidence suggests a potentially useful role for acupuncture as part of a comprehensive approach to Parkinson’s care including medication, neurological care, physiotherapy and exercise.
What Does Parkinson’s Disease Do to the Nervous System?
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that affects much more than movement.
One defining feature is the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra. Parkinson’s is also associated with abnormal accumulation of the protein alpha-synuclein and the formation of Lewy bodies (Qi et al., 2026).
Dopamine plays an important role in the brain circuits responsible for smooth, controlled movement. As these neurons are lost, people may experience:
- tremor
- muscle stiffness
- slowed movement
- difficulty initiating movement
- changes in walking and balance
Parkinson’s can also lead to the development of non-motor symptoms, including constipation, sleep disturbance, fatigue, anxiety, cognitive changes and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.
Research increasingly suggests that Parkinson’s involves several interacting biological processes, including neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired protein clearance and alpha-synuclein accumulation (Qi et al., 2026).
This broader understanding of Parkinson’s is one reason researchers are interested in treatments that may influence multiple aspects of nervous system function.
Is Acupuncture Helpful for Parkinson’s Disease?
A systematic review and meta-analysis by Lee and Lim (2017) evaluated 25 randomized controlled trials involving 1,616 participants. Acupuncture combined with conventional treatment led to improvement in several measures on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) compared with conventional treatment alone.
A second systematic review by Noh et al. (2017), which included 42 studies and 2,625 participants, also found improvements in UPDRS measures when acupuncture was combined with conventional medication.
More recent research has continued to investigate this question. A 2023 meta-analysis specifically examining motor symptoms included 16 randomized controlled trials involving 462 people with Parkinson’s and found better UPDRS-III motor scores in acupuncture groups compared with controls (Jang et al., 2023).
Taken together, these studies suggest that acupuncture may provide additional symptom benefit when added to conventional Parkinson’s treatment.
Acupuncture for Parkinson’s-Related Constipation
Constipation is extremely common in Parkinson’s disease and can have a significant effect on comfort and quality of life.
This is also one area where relatively good clinical research is emerging.
In a randomized controlled trial involving 78 people with Parkinson’s-related constipation, patients received either manual acupuncture or sham acupuncture. After treatment, complete spontaneous bowel movements increased significantly in the acupuncture group compared with the sham group, and the improvement persisted during the four-week follow-up period (Yu et al., 2023).
A larger 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis examined 11 randomized controlled trials involving 960 patients. The researchers found that acupuncture, alone or combined with conventional treatment, was associated with improvements in spontaneous bowel movements, constipation severity and constipation-related quality of life (Chen et al., 2024).
The authors nevertheless emphasized that higher-quality randomized trials are still needed.
Acupuncture for Anxiety in Parkinson’s Disease
Anxiety is another important non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease.
A randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open investigated acupuncture for anxiety in people with Parkinson’s disease. The study found greater improvement in anxiety at follow-up in the real acupuncture group compared with the sham acupuncture group. Improvements were also observed in Parkinson’s-related measures and quality of life (Fan et al., 2022).
This is particularly interesting because Parkinson’s affects networks involved not only in movement but also in mood and autonomic regulation.
As with other areas of acupuncture research, these findings need replication in larger studies before firm conclusions can be drawn.
How Might Acupuncture Affect the Parkinson’s Brain?
This is one of the most interesting areas of current research, but it is also an area where we need to clearly distinguish clinical evidence in humans from laboratory and animal research.
Researchers are investigating whether acupuncture and electroacupuncture can influence biological processes involved in Parkinson’s disease, including:
- neuroinflammation
- oxidative stress
- dopamine signaling
- mitochondrial function
- protein clearance
- neuroplasticity
- the gut-brain axis
Animal research has shown that electroacupuncture can alter the intestinal microbiome and inflammatory processes in an MPTP mouse model of Parkinson’s disease (Han et al., 2021).
Research has also shown that acupuncture stimulation can alter brain electrical activity and functional connectivity in humans, providing evidence that acupuncture can produce measurable effects within the central nervous system (Yu et al., 2018).
These findings are scientifically interesting because they offer possible mechanisms through which acupuncture could influence neurological function.
Neuro-Acupuncture for Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s does not affect everyone in exactly the same way.
One person may be most concerned about tremor. Another may experience significant rigidity or difficulty initiating movement. Someone else may struggle primarily with balance, sleep, constipation or anxiety.
This is one reason an individualized approach can be useful when incorporating acupuncture into neurological care.
Neuro-acupuncture combines acupuncture with an understanding of the brain and nervous system, allowing treatment to be selected according to the neurological symptoms and functions most affected in each individual.
It is important to recognize, however, that research has not yet established one optimal acupuncture protocol for Parkinson’s disease. Studies vary considerably in the acupuncture points used, treatment frequency, electrical stimulation and length of treatment (Qi et al., 2026).
Where Does Acupuncture Fit Into Parkinson’s Treatment?
Acupuncture should not replace neurological care, Parkinson’s medication, physiotherapy, exercise or other treatments recommended by a person's healthcare team.
Instead, the strongest potential is for acupuncture as an adjunct treatment—something used alongside established Parkinson’s care.
Depending on the individual, treatment may focus on areas such as:
- movement and mobility
- stiffness
- constipation
- anxiety
- sleep and relaxation
- maintaining day-to-day function
- overall quality of life
A Growing Role for Neuro-Acupuncture
Our understanding of Parkinson’s disease and of how the brain responds to treatment continues to evolve.
Research into neuroplasticity, neuroinflammation, the gut-brain connection and nervous system regulation is giving scientists new ways to investigate acupuncture using modern neurological science.
The clinical evidence is not yet strong enough to consider acupuncture a disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s. However, research suggests it has a useful role as part of an integrative treatment strategy, particularly for certain motor and non-motor symptoms.
For people living with Parkinson’s disease, the goal is ultimately not simply to treat a diagnosis, but to maintain movement, independence, function and quality of life for as long as possible.
Jennifer Midlane is a neuro-acupuncturist practicing at Acacia Health Clinic in Victoria, British Columbia. She focuses on providing care for those with neurological conditions by integrating the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern scientific research.
References
Chen, Y., et al. (2024). Acupuncture for constipation in Parkinson’s disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicine, 103. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000038831
Fan, J.-F., Lu, W.-L., Tan, W.-T., Liu, X., Wang, Y.-W., Wang, N.-W., et al. (2022). Effectiveness of acupuncture for anxiety among patients with Parkinson disease: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open, 5(9), e2232133. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.32133
Han, Q.-Q., Fu, Y., Le, J.-M., Cheng, S., Chen, P.-Q., et al. (2021). Electroacupuncture may alleviate behavioral defects via modulation of gut microbiota in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. Acupuncture in Medicine, 39(5), 501–511. https://doi.org/10.1177/0964528421990658
Jang, J.-H., et al. (2023). Qualitative and quantitative meta-analysis of acupuncture effects on the motor function of Parkinson’s disease patients. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 15.
Kluger, B. M., Rakowski, D., Christian, M., Cedar, D., Wong, B., Crawford, J., et al. (2016). Randomized, controlled trial of acupuncture for fatigue in Parkinson’s disease. Movement Disorders, 31(7), 1027–1032. https://doi.org/10.1002/mds.26597
Lee, S. H., & Lim, S. (2017). Clinical effectiveness of acupuncture on Parkinson disease: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine, 96(3), e5836. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000005836
Li, L., Lu, J., Sun, Y., & Jin, X. (2019). Acupuncture protects from 6-OHDA-induced neuronal damage by balancing the ratio of DMT1/Fpn1. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 26(8), 1948–1955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2019.07.003
Noh, H., Kwon, S., Cho, S.-Y., Jung, W.-S., Moon, S.-K., Park, J.-M., et al. (2017). Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 34, 86–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2017.08.005
Qi, B., Wen, Q.-R., & Zhai, L.-Y. (2026). Progress in diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease and clinical application and prospect of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment. Frontiers in Medicine, 13, 1842383. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1842383
Yu, H., Wu, X., Cai, L., Deng, B., & Wang, J. (2018). Modulation of spectral power and functional connectivity in human brain by acupuncture stimulation. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 26(5), 977–986. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2018.2828143
Yu, Z., et al. (2023). Efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease-related constipation (PDC): A randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17, 1126080. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1126080
