Does accupuncture really work? are there any legitimate scientific studies that prove its effectiveness? is it safe?

1.Yes. 2.Yes. 3.Yes: A study released in the archives of internal medicine (10 sept 2012); reviewed 29 studies involving almost 18, 000 people; indicated that acupuncture was found better at pain relief than no treatment or sham treatment. For some conditions it is superior to standard treatments.http://www.sfgate.com/business/prweb/article/acupuncture-is-effective-for-chronic-pain-new-3867880.php#ixzz2k2xjf3vp.

Yes and yes: World health organization has approved acupuncture for a long list of over 30 conditions from high blood pressure to allergies and asthma as a first line treatment. It works for many things - of course not for brain tumors and ruptured appendix. Need to know that acupuncture is only a small part of traditional chinese medicine (tcm), and that there are few properly trained experts outside china.