Japanese investigators determined the preventive and curative effects of manual acupuncture on the symptoms of the common cold. Students and staff in five Japanese acupuncture schools (n = 326) were randomly allocated to acupuncture and no-treatment control groups. A specific needling point (Y point) on the neck was used bilaterally. Acupuncture needles were gently manipulated for 15 s, evoking de qi sensations. Acupuncture treatments were performed four times during the 2-week experimental period with a 2-week follow-up period. A common cold diary was scored daily for 4 weeks and a common cold questionnaire was scored before each acupuncture treatment and twice at weekly intervals. The diary score in the acupuncture group tended to decrease after treatment but the difference between groups was not significant. Statistically significantly fewer symptoms were reported by the acupuncture group than the control group. Significant intercentre and sex differences were also detected.