An article called “Acupuncture: an effective treatment for painful diabetic neuropathy” was published in the winter 2006 issue of the journal ‘Diabetic Foot’. Painful diabetic neuropathy is a very distressing complication of diabetes. Conventional treatments include the application of film dressings, and analgesic, antidepressant and opiate drugs. These treatments can be ineffective; often they also have unpleasant side-effects in the diabetes sufferers, who are usually already on a number of medications. Therefore, the researchers are exploring acupuncture, a non-pharmacological therapy without any side effects to speak of. The article uses data from several studies, including the authors’ own (McClennon et al, 2005) to show that acupuncture does provide relief for this type of pain.