As a Doctor of Acupuncture with a focus on the management of Chronic Prostatitis/ Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS), I’ve dedicated my practice to exploring and implementing effective treatments that offer relief and improve the quality of life for my patients.
Many recent clinical studies have supported acupuncture’s benefits for CPPS patients, revealing promising results in pain management, reduction of urinary symptoms, and overall improvement in quality of life.
I am excited to share this information with you as part of our ongoing discussions about your health and treatment options. Together, we can explore how acupuncture might provide you with relief and support your journey toward healing and well-being.
Table of Contents
What the Largest CPPS Trial Found
The largest and most rigorous trial on this topic followed roughly 400 men with CPPS, splitting them between real acupuncture at points thought to calm pelvic floor nerve and muscle tension, and a placebo protocol. By week four, the real acupuncture group was already pulling ahead — and remarkably, that gap held up 24 weeks after treatment ended, suggesting the benefit isn’t just a short-term placebo bump but something more durable.
I break this trial down in full — along with what it means for how I structure a treatment course — on my main CPPS page. Here, I want to focus on two other studies that get more specific about exactly which points and protocols were used, since that detail doesn’t get as much attention.
Electroacupuncture Protocol: Points and Parameters
In this study, 36 men with CPPS were randomly assigned to three groups: advice and exercise plus electro-acupuncture (EA), advice and exercise with sham electro-acupuncture (SEA), and advice and exercise alone (AE) (2). The EA group experienced bilateral stimulation of Ciliao (BL-32), Zhongliao (BL-33), and Huantiao (GB-30), with needles stimulated at 4 hertz for 20 minutes at an intensity between five and ten milliamps. The electroacupuncture significantly reduced pain levels and NIH-CPSI scores compared to the other groups. This study also suggests that targeted electro-acupuncture points may have pain-relieving properties of acupuncture for CPPS patients.
Auricular Acupuncture Protocol for Urinary Symptoms
This small pilot study treated ten males with standardized acupuncture targeting not only the commonly used points but also auricular (ear) points, reflecting a comprehensive approach to treating CPPS.(3) Points included Waiguan (SJ-5), Zulinqi (GB-41), Taichong (LIV-3), Hegu (LI-4), Diji (SP-8), Sanyinjiao (SP-6), and auricular points Shenmen, Kidney, Liver, Lung, and Spleen. Treatment was given twice weekly for six weeks. Significant improvements in NIH-CPSI scores and quality of life metrics demonstrate this approach’s effectiveness. This treatment was less focused on electroacupuncture, but more on balancing the flow of Qi in the body. It was a very small study and larger studies are needed for this method.
Which is Right for You?
Each study presents a different acupuncture protocol, offering insights into the versatile ways acupuncture can be applied to treat CPPS. The lasting benefits reported in these studies underscore acupuncture’s potential as a non-invasive, effective treatment for CPPS.
In my clinic, I use these studies along with knowledge gained from my clinical experience to create a customized treatment approach for each patient.
Please call us at 212-319-5757 to make an appointment. Or you can schedule your appointment online.
References:
- Sun Y, Liu Y, et.al. Efficacy of Acupuncture for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome: A Randomized Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2021 Oct;174(10):1357-1366. doi: 10.7326/M21-1814. Epub 2021 Aug 17. PMID: 34399062.
- Lee SH & Lee BC (2009). Electroacupuncture relieves pain in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: three-arm randomized trial. Urology. May, 73(5), 1036-41.
- Capodice JL, Jin Z, Bemis DL, et. al. (2007) A pilot study on acupuncture for lower urinary tract symptoms related to chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain. Chin Med, Feb 6(2).
