Traditional Acupuncture

Chinese Medicine Explanation

The ancient Chinese believed that the body’s own energy force or ‘Qi’ (pronounced ‘chee’) travelled throughout the body along channels or ‘meridians’.  If the meridians become obstructed, the Qi is unable to flow and can become deficient or excessive and this can result in pain or illness. Acupuncture is said to restore the Qi balance by stimulating specific points along the meridians, helping the body to heal itself.

The Chinese Medicine philosophy is also focussed on preventing illness and many people find that occasional ‘maintenance’ treatments can boost their energy and immune systems and enhance their general wellbeing. 

Many people first try acupuncture as a ‘last resort’ but are quicker to return for treatment when other complaints arise. Acupuncture works well in an integrated approach and people often use it in conjunction with their conventional medical treatment and with other therapies. 

Western Medicine Explanation

There are various Western medical explanations for how acupuncture may ‘work’.

Acupuncture points are located on areas of heightened electrical sensitivity. Inserting needles can stimulate various sensory receptors that transmit impulses to the hypothalamic-pituitary system at the base of the brain.

Acupuncture needles stimulate these ‘trigger points’ which, in turn, release certain hormones like endorphins that can reduce pain, and regulate the endocrine and nervous system.

Endorphins help the functioning of the hormonal system and may explain why acupuncture can work across a wide range of conditions.

The British Medical Acupuncture Society says that “Acupuncture causes the release of natural pain-killing and healing chemicals within our bodies. In other words, acupuncture appears to help our bodies to heal themselves”.

More technically, “it acts mainly by stimulating the nervous system, and its known modes of action include local antidromic axon reflexes, segmental and extrasegmental neuromodulation, and other central nervous system effects…”

In 2006 Lythcoe’s study for the BBC’s Alternative Therapies series looked at the effect that inserting acupuncture needles has on the brain.  The research team demonstrated that ‘deep’ needling affects the limbic system in the brain, the area that determines our pain threshold.

Experiments with MRI and MEG scanners showed that superficial needling activated the motor areas of the cortex whilst deep needling de-activated the brain’s limbic system, reducing the pain experience.

You can view the BBC program clip by clicking - Acupuncture Helps Pain Control.

A study published in 2010 in Brain Research by Dr Hugh MacPherson suggests that acupuncture has an effect on specific neural structures. Read more in the Telegraph article by Andrew Hough: Acupuncture ‘lessens pain in brain not body’, scientists discover’ 6/2/10.

In 2007 Haake demonstrated in a large German trial that acupuncture’s effect in reducing low back pain is due to an “underlying mechanism that may act on pain generation, transmission of pain signals or processing of pain signals by the Central Nervous System”.  Read more on the German Acupuncture Trials.

In 2010, a study by Nature Neuroscience found that in studies on mice, levels of adenosine (a natural painkiller) were increased in tissues near acupuncture sites. Read more on the BBC website.

Western Medical Acupuncture

Many healthcare workers are now practising forms of acupuncture. Physiotherapists, GPs and nurses practise ‘western medical acupuncture’ also known as ‘dry needling’. This approach often uses a ‘protocol’ of acupuncture points for certain conditions; the same treatment applied to each person with that condition.

The Traditional Chinese Medical approach differs to this because it looks at your general health and adjusts the needling approach for each person and every treatment session. 

The Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective sees the cycle of chronic pain as inextricably linked to other physiological and psychological issues.  It’s believed that there are a range of additional benefits from using the traditional approach.

‘Dry needling’ can be effective in some cases. However, Traditional Chinese Medicine looks for the reasons which led to the complaint, treats linked symptoms, suggests appropriate ‘lifestyle’ advice and focuses on preventing future illness.