Xu, Yu-Xin, Luo, Hua-Song, Sun, Dong et al. · Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion · 2019 · DOI
This study tested whether acupuncture could help people with ME/CFS feel less tired and sleep better. Sixty-eight patients were divided into two groups: one received acupuncture twice a week for four weeks along with standard care (rest and vitamins), while the other received only standard care. The acupuncture group showed greater improvements in fatigue, overall wellbeing, and sleep quality compared to the control group.
ME/CFS patients often experience debilitating fatigue and sleep dysfunction with limited effective treatments. This study contributes evidence that acupuncture may reduce fatigue symptoms and improve sleep quality, and suggests a possible biological mechanism through reduced inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IFN-γ), which could inform complementary treatment approaches.
This study does not prove acupuncture is curative for ME/CFS or superior to other active treatments, as the control group received minimal intervention (no active treatment comparison). The reduction in cytokines does not establish that cytokine lowering causes symptom improvement or that this mechanism is specific to acupuncture. Results may not generalize beyond the studied population, and the 4-week duration does not establish long-term efficacy or safety.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Xu, Yu-Xin, Luo, Hua-Song, Sun, Dong, Wang, Rui, & Cai, Jian (2019). [Acupuncture in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome based on "interaction of brain and kidney" in TCM: a randomized controlled trial].. Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion. https://doi.org/10.13703/j.0255-2930.2019.02.003
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-xu-2019-acupuncture-treatment,
author = {Xu, Yu-Xin and Luo, Hua-Song and Sun, Dong and Wang, Rui and Cai, Jian},
title = {[Acupuncture in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome based on "interaction of brain and kidney" in TCM: a randomized controlled trial].},
journal = {Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.13703/j.0255-2930.2019.02.003},
note = {PubMed: 30942028},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/xu-2019-acupuncture-treatment},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/xu-2019-acupuncture-treatment
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