Abstract： Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus medication for rheumatic arthritis (RA).Methods:A total of 80 RA cases were randomized into an observation group and a control group,40 in each group.Cases in the observation group received antirheumatic agents and acupuncture therapy,whereas cases in the control group received antirheumatic agents alone.The therapeutic efficacies were observed after 3 sessions of treatment.Results:After the treatment,patients in the observation group had significant improvement in their morning stiffness time,average grip of both hands,joint tenderness and joint swelling,showing statistical significances (P＜0.01); symptoms of patients in the control group were also remarkably improved (P＜0.01,P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the improvements in joint tenderness and average grip of both hands in the observation group were more significant (P＜0.05).After treatment,the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) points were significantly improved in both groups,erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in both groups were remarkably reduced (P＜0.01,P＜0.05); however,compared with the control group,the CRP decrease in the observation group was more significant (P＜0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture plus antirheumatic agents can effectively increase the RA patients' activities of daily living (ADL) and thus improve their quality of life.