Brief History:

Acupuncture, moxibustion and herbs are the cornerstone of eastern medicine, a predominant form of medical treatment in Asia for thousands of years. Around 1800 acupuncture was introduced to the United States and has gradually been gaining prominence in the medical field.  As such, acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal medicine have been subject to a vast array of evidence based studies and meta analysis. Once thought of as an alternative medicine it is clear that eastern modalities have a place along side western medical practices creating a truly integrative approach to both preventative medicine and treatment of acute and chronic aliments.

How does it work?

Studies have found a strong correlation between traditional acupuncture points and the sensory neural pathways. Think of an electrical circuit with a switch (acupuncture points) and a light bulb (area of pain/focus). You can screw in the light bulb every time you want light or you can go to the switch and allow the pathway to affect the bulb and turn it on. Similarly the acupuncture points can carry information through the biochemical and bioelectric pathways in the body. This is why we may use a point on your leg to treat a stomach issue. The analgesic and anti inflammatory benefits of acupuncture utilize and activate these sensory neural fibers and the biochemicals such as naturally occurring opioid neuropeptides (endorphins etc.)

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Does it hurt?

This is the million dollar question. We have all seen some depiction of acupuncture whether it be a bear covered head to toe in needles from Kung Fu Panda or the one needle death technique in some poorly dubbed kung fu movie. The reality is not nearly as scary or sexy. The needles used in the clinic are about as thin as a strand of hair.  They are so thin they are flexible and often no more than 5-20 are used. Most times patients hardly feel the needles and often ask if I have even put them in. Of course there are exceptions. It is still a needle and you may experience a slight pricking sensation and in rare instances some slight bruising.  Once the needles are placed you are left to rest for 15-20 minutes and I often return to rooms to hear patients snoring and remarking that it was the best nap they have had in ages. 

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Reasearch:

Because of the lack of an appropriate placebo most studied find it hard to quantify the effect of acupuncture. Unlike giving someone a sugar pill it is very hard to give them "fake" acupuncture. However there is much research being done and we are still learning about all the benefits eastern medicine has to offer. More information on the clinical research being done on acupuncture can be found on evidencebasedacupuncture.org and on sites like pubmed.