Helene M. Langevin, M.D.
June 14, 2022

In the field of complementary and integrative health, few topics have generated more controversy than acupuncture. This is driven by an ongoing discordance at the core of this ancient therapy: although agrowing body of evidence demonstrates acupunctures potential role in managing different conditions, like chronic pain or insomnia, the practice itself isnt well understood. In particular, critics of acupuncture research have repeatedly pointed out that acupoints, one of the fundamental tenets of acupuncture, arent based on an objective understanding of the body.

Im proud that the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) has put into motion an effort to address this problem with a new initiative that will result in the development of anopen-access repository and databasefor the anatomical and physiological correlates of acupoints. This data initiative has long been needed to advance the work of researchers in the field.