How does acupuncture work?

Question

Why does putting needles in a one part of the body help the problem in a different area? Why do mostly the Chinese carry out this medicine.?

Answer 1

We tend to think that anything from the "east" works because it has been done for thousands of years. The truth is acupuncture is no more effective than a placebo.

Don't waste your money on it.

Answer 2

The human body is surrounded by an electromagnetic "aura" sometimes called the Kirlian Field. Acupuncture needles modify the flow of this field.

Whilst Acupuncture undoubtedly produces some beneficial results, little is known of the nature of this field or how it interacts with the body. It may have unwanted physical or psychological effects, but this can only be determined by prolonged study. According to some cultures, the field is the soul.

A person that has recently had Acupuncture is not able to donate blood (in the same way that tattoos make a person unsuitable).

Acupressure is a related but non-invasive treatment.

Answer 3

A common misperception is that acupuncture is put into nerves or ganglion. This is not true. Acupuncture is a 5000 year old Chinese art of healing that involves the insertion of very fine, sterile, disposable needles into specific parts of the body. This technique stimulates and activates the body's immune and healing systems.

The classical Chinese explanation is that channels of energy run in regular patterns through the body and over its surface. These energy channels, called meridians, are like rivers flowing through the body to irrigate and nourish the tissues. An obstruction in the movement of these energy rivers is like a dam that backs up in others.

The meridians can be influenced by needling the acupuncture points; the acupuncture needles unblock the obstructions at the dams, and reestablish the regular flow through the meridians. Acupuncture treatments can therefore help the body's internal organs to correct imbalances in their digestion, absorption, and energy production activities, and in the circulation of their energy through the meridians.

The modern scientific explanation is that needling the acupuncture points stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals will either change the experience of pain, or they will trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones which influence the body's own internal regulating system.

The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture results in stimulating the body's natural healing abilities, and in promoting physical and emotional well-being.

The Chinese may have "discovered" the treatment; however, it is popular in many Asian cultures and throughout the world. Medical acupuncturists are also popular in some countries, being western medical doctors who have also trained in traditional acupuncture.

Answer 4

"[Acupuncture] is an ancient Chinese medical procedure in which long needles are inserted into specific points at the skin. The traditional Chinese explanation is that the needles bring Yin and Yang (which flow through [...] meridians) into harmony with each other."

Scientific evidence on acupuncture does not discredit it entirely, only strict traditional forms of it. This page shows that acupuncture works, according to some studies, but also that sticking pins in "randomly" (ignoring traditional methods) is just as effective.

A study involving 400 patients in 2004, by the Royal London Homeopathic hospital, found that headaches reduced sharply after 12 sessions of acupuncture, with lasting effects lasting at least a year. [The Independent, 2005]

The British Medical Journal reported on a 2 year study from 1999-2001 involving 401 participants. A 34% reduction in headaches from the baseline was achieved using acupuncture [BMJ, 1]. Two studies found results which practioners of alternative medicine and experts have suspected for a long time:

"Researchers [in Germany] found that sticking pins in randomly over the body so they just penetrated the skin was equally effective". The study involved 270 patients over a period of 8 weeks by the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Munich, and found that the incidence of headaches can be halved. [The Independent, 2005]

"The study is the latest to suggest that 'minimal' or 'sham' acupuncture is as good as the real thing. A study last year of 302 mostly female migraine patients found [traditional and 'random'] acupucture were equally effective in reducing attacks. An earlier study, published in the BMJ last year, also found evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for headaches and migraines" [The Independent, 2005]

Risks and Dangers of Acupuncture

"The adverse effects of acupuncture are probably related to the nature of the practitioner's training. A survey of 1,135 Norwegian physicians revealed 66 cases of infection, 25 cases of punctured lung, 31 cases of increased pain, and 80 other cases with complications. A parallel survey of 197 acupuncturists, who are more apt to see immediate complications, yielded 132 cases of fainting, 26 cases of increased pain, 8 cases of pneumothorax, and 45 other adverse results. However, a 5-year study involving 76 acupuncturists at a Japanese medical facility tabulated only 64 adverse event reports [...] associated with 55,591 acupuncture treatments. [...] The researchers concluded that serious adverse reactions are uncommon among acupuncturists who are medically trained."

Answer 5

I have had acupuncture when I had a bad back.I wasn't able to lie down to be examined so the doc put the weird little needles in me to try and relax the muscles to enable me to lie down.It didn't work.Turned out I had a fractured vertebrae.

Answer 6

They say that a light pinprick while twisting gently causes your body to secrete a natural painkiller that can solve many muscle pains and disease. It originated in China, so many med schools in China probably practice it. I think they know how certain pressure points work because or trial and error and how your body all works together with connections to different parts of your body by means of bloodstream, veins, arteries, etc....

Answer 7

it affects different nerves through the body helping to alleviate pain. it eases muscles. just knowing exactly what pressure points do what and where they are is what they have almost perfected. and knowing how to stimulate them in which way

Answer 8

Please see the webpages for more details on Acupuncture.

Answer 9

it actually does not work

Answer 10

because they are sadists