Insights into acupuncture

We spoke with Lixing Lao, Ph.D., a licensed acupuncturist and director of traditional Chinese medicine research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine to find out more.

When did acupuncture begin?
It started in China 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. In that ancient time, people knew little about the anatomy of the human body. They believed that people in pain had blocked qi, pronounced “chee,” which is energy that flows through channels, or meridians, to different parts of the body. They found that pain would lessen if you used stimulation such as a needle at certain points on these meridians. There are 361 acupuncture points in all, along 14 different meridians. From China, acupuncture spread throughout Asia, then Europe and the U.S. It really took off in the U.S. in the 1970s, when the relationship between China and the U.S. opened up. The columnist James Reston had an appendectomy while in China and wrote a column about how acupuncture relieved his postoperative pain, which helped make it popular.

What does modern science say?
The evidence is pretty clear that acupuncture can stimulate the production of endorphins, natural painkillers from your own brain. It can also send signals along the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, producing glucocorticoids, compounds that suppress inflammation. MRI studies show that acupuncture stimulates brain activity. Our own research has found that acupuncture reduces pain from knee arthritis. In my practice I treat people with back and neck pain, sports injuries, muscle strains, headaches, menstrual cramps, and the nausea and pain associated with cancer and chemotherapy. And don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt. In the past, we used thick needles that had to be inserted by hand. But now everybody uses very, very thin disposable needles that come with guiding tubes; you just tap them and the needle shoots into the skin. You can hardly feel it. Plan on coming in twice a week for the first two or three weeks, and then less often if you’re doing better.

How do I find an acupuncturist?
Look for an experienced practitioner who has a state license or registration as well as certification from the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Editor's Note, December 26th: In hindsight, the title of this blog (What does the science say about acupuncture?) does not accurately reflect the blog post itself. Thanks for your comments, and based on them we have changed the title.

Comments

[Michael P.]

You spoke with an acupuncturist to see if Acupuncture was legit? That seems like a questionable choice. His answer to the "modern science" question states that acupuncture does SOMETHING to your body, but doesn't actually say anything about whether or not it's effective at treating specific conditions.

Acupuncture, like Homeopathy, gets mindshare largely because most people are unaware of its actual tenets. Acupuncture supposedly works by distributing Qi (nee "chi") throughout your body. What does science have to say about Qi? Well, traditional chinese medicine says that Qi is undetectable by science. So, uh, apparently the effectiveness of acupuncture's core philosophy can not be scientifically tested. Interesting.

We can still test its effectiveness at treating specific conditions, but only recently. There haven't been many scientific studies about the effectiveness of acupuncture because, until recently, there wasn't a way to do a placebo-controlled study (since it was hard to simulate a needle prick without actually using a needle). With new methods, we may be able to accurately gauge its effectiveness in an unbiased way.

[Bryce]

Are you serious? For an article titled, "What does science say about acupuncture?" you interviewed a so-called "licensed acupuncturist" !?! Surely you can't be serious. If you want to know what science actually has to say, interview a real SCIENTIST! There are such things as medical doctors, and I'm sure one of them has actually studied this so-called medical treatment. This has to be the most irresponsible reporting I've ever seen. What's next? An article on what science says about Voodoo with a witch doctor as your only source? I'm speechless.

[Judith]

It is disappointing that Consumer Reports ignored what some of the most pre-eminent, peer-reviewed, scientific journals have to say about the efficacy of acupuncture. The British Medical Journal's review of acupuncture for the treatment of various conditions, notes that only "very low-quality evidence" exists to affirm its utility in ameliorating premenstrual symptoms, osteoarthritis of the knee; by contrast, there is very good evidence that acupuncture is not useful for relieving nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, according to the BMJ's Clinical Evidence guidelines.

The Cochrane Library, which scrutinizes medical treatments with rigour and objectivity also found that good scientific evidence does not exist to support claims that acupuncture is beneficial in ameliorating a whole host of physical and psychiatric conditions.

[Nicky]

And the warning about trusting quackery to the exclusion of medical interventions with actual - what was the word - evidence? I thought CR was in the business of providing the information the crudmongers omit.

[Catherine]

Interesting article and even more intesting comments. Dr. Lao has a Phd. and conducts research into acupuncture at the University of Maryland school of medicine. I believe that qualifies him as a "real SCIENTIST".

[Stephen Barrett, MD]

Your advice on how to choose an acupuncturist is misguided. "Certification" is not a mark of quality. The majority of certified practitioners have nonmedical diplomas from schools of "Oriental Medicine" whose teachings are not based on the body of knowledge recognized by the scientific community. They teach metaphysical nonsense related to the flow of the body's "vital force" ("chi'). They also use pulse and tongue diagnosis to diagnose problems that do not correspond to scientific knowledge of physiology and pathology. Thus, going to a certified practitioner creates a very high probability of being misdiagnosed and mistreated. People who feel they must seek acupuncture should go to a medical center that is doing acupuncture research and should avoid any practitioner who starts explaining about "chi" and "meridians."

[acupuncture]

Not enough tests are conducted to prove the healing process by acupuncture.
World Health Organization have recommeded more studies for the healing by acuputure.