Parkinson’s Disease and Chinese Medicine: An Honest Look

People with Parkinson’s come to us looking for help living well with it, day to day, and that is something acupuncture and Chinese medicine have a great deal to offer.

Parkinson’s is managed by neurology, by medication whose timing matters enormously, and by movement. What we offer sits alongside all of that, aimed at the parts of daily life a neurology appointment rarely has time for: sleep, stiffness, digestion, mood, and the sense of having some say in how you feel from one day to the next.

Working alongside your neurological care

Medication, exercise and physiotherapy, speech pathology and occupational therapy each have their role in Parkinson’s, and so does acupuncture. We work alongside your neurologist as part of the same team, with each of us doing what we do best.

What we bring is the part of daily life a neurology appointment rarely has time for: sleep, stiffness, digestion, mood, and the sense of having some say in how you feel from one day to the next.

What the research shows on movement

Trials that add acupuncture to conventional treatment report gains in tremor, rigidity, balance and gait.

A 2022 systematic review in Healthcare of 17 randomised trials and 845 patients found positive results across tremor, rigidity, balance, gait and bradykinesia when acupuncture was added to conventional treatment, along with improvements in sleep, mood, anxiety and sense of smell.

Where the evidence is clearest: sleep

A 2026 systematic review in Frontiers in Neurology looked at non-motor symptoms specifically. On sleep, pooling two sham-controlled randomised trials with 138 participants, it found a mean difference of 14.52 on the Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale (95% CI 7.27 to 21.78), a clear result on the outcome people with Parkinson’s most often ask us about.

Sleep is where the evidence is clearest, with a signal on anxiety as well, and both are things people with Parkinson’s tell us they would most like help with.

Comfort, wellbeing and the day to day

A 2020 review in Neurotherapeutics, a mainstream neurology journal, concluded that acupuncture is relatively safe and that it is reasonable to consider it as part of a multidisciplinary approach to Parkinson’s. That is the frame we work in: a treatment worth including for comfort and wellbeing, alongside your neurological care.

How the tradition describes tremor

Chinese medicine has a long-standing category for involuntary shaking, read as internal wind arising when the Liver loses its nourishment. In The Practice of Chinese Medicine, Maciocia describes Liver-Wind presenting with dizziness, loss of balance and tremors, and notes that the pattern occurs mainly in older people, with the underlying picture varying depending on whether the wind derives from Liver-Fire, from Liver-Blood deficiency or from Liver-Yin deficiency.

That reading is what guides the choice of points, and it has been refined over a very long clinical history.

What does treatment involve?

Supportive care, framed around comfort rather than the disease: sleep, muscle tension and stiffness that makes positioning uncomfortable, constipation, anxiety, and the low mood that often travels alongside. Gentle qigong movement is included where the person can manage it, scaled to the day, and mindfulness is part of the same approach.

Your medication schedule stays as it is, and acupuncture is timed around it.

Practical matters

Falls are the risk that shapes everything else. The treatment room, the table, and the time taken getting on and off it are all adjusted for that, and we would rather add several minutes than rush a transfer.

Timing an appointment for an “on” period usually makes the visit easier, and both clinics are open weekdays from 8am to 8pm and Saturday mornings, so it is generally possible to find a slot that fits the medication schedule rather than fighting it. The Alexandra Hills rooms are on the ground floor with no steps to negotiate, and parking is immediately outside. Partners and carers are welcome to stay in the room.

For anyone travelling from the Redlands, Capalaba, Cleveland, Thornlands or Victoria Point, Alexandra Hills is usually the shorter trip; Balmoral serves the inner-east suburbs.

When it needs medical attention

These need prompt medical attention:

• A sudden worsening of movement, or doses that have stopped working as they did
• New confusion, hallucinations or marked changes in thinking
• Repeated falls, or a fall causing injury
• Difficulty swallowing, coughing during meals, or unexplained chest infections
• Significant new low mood, or thoughts of self-harm
• Fainting or dizziness on standing that is new or worsening

Swallowing difficulty in particular is one to raise early rather than to normalise.

Tell us at assessment about your full medication list, anticoagulants and any implanted devices, including deep brain stimulation, which rules out electrical stimulation. Serious adverse events from acupuncture are rare.

Questions we hear

Could acupuncture let me reduce my medication?

Medication is your neurologist’s side of the partnership. Acupuncture is timed around the schedule and adds to it.

What is treatment aimed at?

Sleep, comfort, stiffness and the non-motor symptoms, which are usually what make the biggest difference to a day. We are straightforward about what each visit is aimed at, and we review it with you as we go.

Can my partner learn anything to do at home?

Often yes, usually simple movement and breathing work rather than anything needling-related. It is worth asking at the visit.

What about Chinese herbs?

Some herbs affect how Parkinson’s medication is absorbed, so herbal prescriptions are built around your medication timing, with your neurologist informed.

References

Cui Y, Xue R, Zhang B, et al. Acupuncture effects on non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (sleep, mood, and fatigue): a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Neurology. 2026;17:1745157. doi:10.3389/fneur.2026.1745157

Deuel LM, Seeberger LC. Complementary therapies in Parkinson disease: a review of acupuncture, tai chi, qi gong, yoga, and cannabis. Neurotherapeutics. 2020;17(4):1434-1455. doi:10.1007/s13311-020-00900-y

Pereira CR, Machado J, Rodrigues J, de Oliveira NM, Criado MB, Greten HJ. Effectiveness of acupuncture in Parkinson’s disease symptoms: a systematic review. Healthcare. 2022;10(11):2334. doi:10.3390/healthcare10112334

Chan MWC, Wu XY, Wu JCY, Wong SYS, Chung VCH. Safety of acupuncture: overview of systematic reviews. Scientific Reports. 2017;7:3369. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-03272-0

Maciocia G. The Practice of Chinese Medicine: The Treatment of Diseases with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Elsevier; 2008.

Individual responses vary, and an assessment is what determines whether treatment is suitable for you. Dr Francesco Pennisi practises at Balmoral and Alexandra Hills. Phone (07) 3820 2887, or book online.