A pilot study on acupuncture for lower urinary tract symptoms related to chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain

The etiology and treatment of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/ CPPS) remain poorly understood. Pain, lower urinary tract voiding symptoms and negative impact on quality of life (QOL) are the most common complaints. Acupuncture, which has been widely used to treat painful and chronic conditions, may be a potential treatment to alleviate the constellation of symptoms experienced by men with CP/CPPS. The purpose of our study was to assess the impact of standardized full body and auricular acupuncture in men refractory to conventional therapies and collect pilot data to warrant further randomized trials.

Jillian L Capodice, Zhezhen Jin, Debra L Bemis, David Samadi, Brian A Stone, Steven Kapan and Aaron E Katz