Is Acupuncture Safe? Are There Side Effects?

The Safety Record of Acupuncture

Acupuncture has one of the best safety profiles of any medical intervention when practised by qualified practitioners. A large prospective safety study in Germany involving over 2.2 million acupuncture treatments found the rate of serious adverse events to be 0.007% — less than one in ten thousand treatments.

At Rainbow Medicine, all practitioners use sterile, single-use, disposable needles — eliminating any risk of cross-infection. Needles are never reused. The clinic maintains infection control standards consistent with AHPRA and Australian Health Practitioner Regulation standards.

Common Minor Side Effects

Minor side effects are common and generally mild. The most common are:

Bruising at needle sites (uncommon but possible, particularly in patients on blood thinners — resolves in days); temporary soreness or heaviness at needle sites (normal part of the treatment response); mild fatigue or drowsiness after treatment (a healing response — rest if possible); lightheadedness if treated on an empty stomach (eat a light meal beforehand). These are not causes for concern and generally resolve within 24–48 hours.