Zhang, Feng, Shen, Yifeng, Li, Jie et al. · Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society · 2020 · DOI
This study looked at whether auricular acupuncture (tiny needles placed in specific points on the ear) could help improve sleep in one patient with ME/CFS. The patient received acupuncture treatment and reported improvements in their insomnia symptoms. However, this is just one person's experience, so we cannot yet say whether this treatment would work for other ME/CFS patients.
Sleep disturbance is a major symptom affecting quality of life in ME/CFS patients, and many seek non-pharmacological interventions. This study explores acupuncture as a potential treatment option, which may interest patients exploring complementary approaches. However, robust evidence for any sleep intervention in ME/CFS remains limited, making any case report a starting point for further investigation.
This single case report cannot establish that auricular acupuncture is effective for ME/CFS-related insomnia in general. There is no control group, no blinding, and no way to separate the treatment effect from placebo response or natural fluctuation in symptoms. One person's positive experience does not predict outcomes in other patients.
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
Zhang, Feng, Shen, Yifeng, Li, Jie, & Wang, Chao (2020). Auricular acupuncture for insomnia of chronic fatigue syndrome: a case report.. Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0964528420920279
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-zhang-2020-auricular-acupuncture,
author = {Zhang, Feng and Shen, Yifeng and Li, Jie and Wang, Chao},
title = {Auricular acupuncture for insomnia of chronic fatigue syndrome: a case report.},
journal = {Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1177/0964528420920279},
note = {PubMed: 32370546},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/zhang-2020-auricular-acupuncture},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/zhang-2020-auricular-acupuncture
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