How Does Acupuncture Actually Work?

As yet no one really knows how acupuncture works. Even its most ardent supporters admit that they do not know the precise scientific explanation.

Because of this, some have suggested that acupuncture is related to hypnosis. Many, however, disagree. The Chinese have produced general anesthesia in animals by using acupuncture. The French have also conducted experiments on animals to show that acupuncture success cannot be attributed to suggestion or hypnosis.

Research in the Soviet Union and other countries indicates that reflexes between points on the skin and internal organs are involved. Researchers there believe that the needle point desensitizes certain nerve centers and promotes a flow of health. Other explanations involve nerve connections and electrical impulses.

In the Easton, Pennsylvania, Express Dr. Lawrence Lamb, commenting on acupuncture, said: "We are always learning new things about the body, and even new ways in which things are relayed by the nervous system. There are many feedback mechanisms from the skin itself that cause all sorts of problems. A good example is letting the skin be chilled or cooled and ending up with a stiff neck."