A Norwegian study published in the June 2004 issue of Pain found that people who received acupuncture reported less pain three years later than people with similar pain who received a “dummy” treatment.

Researchers at the University of Oslo treated 12 female office workers who reported chronic neck and shoulder pain with 10 sessions of standard acupuncture and acupressure. A second group of 12 workers received a sham treatment, in which acupuncture needles were placed in the incorrect locations.

The real acupuncture group reported a 70 percent decrease in pain intensity during treatment, and after three years, reported pain intensity was still lessened by half. The control group reported only a slight dip during treatment, but even greater pain than before treatment three years later.