- OR -

Advanced Search

 Healing Systems

•	Animal/Pet Therapies
•	Ayurveda
•	Bach Flower Remedies
•	Energy Healing
•	Energy Psychology
•	Herbal Medicine
•	Homeopathy
•	Chiropractic
•	Massage Therapy
•	Naturopathy
•	Traditional Chinese Medicine

 In this section:

•	Acupressure
•	Acupuncture
	> What is Acupuncture
	> Where Did it Originate
	> Medical Recognition
	> How Does it Work
	> Special Equipment Used
	> What Can I Expect
	> How Will I Feel Afterwards
	> What Are the Benefits
	> Frequency & Cost
	> Choosing a Practitioner
	> Acupuncture as a Career
	> Acupuncture Associations
	> Acupuncture Schools
	> Acupuncture Practitioners
•	Chinese Herbalism
•	Chinese Massage (Tui Na)
•	QiGong (Chi Kung)

 Your Tools:

	Print this page
	Email this page
	Search Acupuncture articles
	Submit your own article
	Sign up as a practitioner

Acupuncture

How Does Acupuncture Work?

The classical Chinese explanation is that energy meridians (energy channels) run in specific patterns throughout the body. These meridians are like rivers flowing through the body which irrigate and nourish the tissues. Any obstruction in the movement of the energy through these meridians affects the flow of energy through the rest of the body.

Many studies and researches have been focused on understanding the mechanism of Acupuncture. Pre-clinical studies have documented Acupuncture's effects, but despite the medical technology available today, modern physicists have yet to fully explain how Acupuncture works within the framework of the western system of medicine.

The modern scientific explanation currently accepted is that stimulating the acupoints located along the energy meridians causes the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain.

These chemicals will either change the experience of pain, or trigger the release of other chemicals and/or hormones which influence the body's own internal regulating systems. Many acupoints are near nerves which, when stimulated, cause the muscles to respond. The stimulated muscle sends a message to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), causing the release of endorphins (morphine-like chemicals produced in our own bodies during times of pain or stress). Endorphins, along with other neurotransmitters (body chemicals that modify nerve impulses), block the message of pain from being delivered up to the brain.

The improved energy flow and biochemical balance produced by Acupuncture results in stimulating the body's natural healing abilities.

Several processes have been presented to explain Acupuncture's effects, primarily those on pain. Research has found:

•	Evidence that acupoints are strategic conductors of electromagnetic signals. Stimulating these points causes electromagnetic signals to be relayed at a greater rate than under normal conditions. These signals may start the flow of pain-killing chemicals (e.g. endorphins), and of immune system cells to specific sites in the body that are injured or vulnerable to disease.
•	Stimulation of acupoints causes changes in brain chemistry, sensation, and involuntary bodily functions. This is done by altering the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones, affecting the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary bodily functions, such as immune reactions, regulation of blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature.

view all Acupuncture articles...