How Does Acupuncture Work?

Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years, but there is some criticism of the modality because we have not known how it actually creates change in the human body.  Accordingly, some critics have suggested that acupuncture is little more than a placebo effect.  Inserting a sterile needle into the skin might sound a bit too unconventional or 'woo-woo' for some people, but as more evidence-based studies are completed, we are beginning to understand just exactly how the needles interact with the human body to cause physiologic changes that enhance repair and recovery, and can have profound effects upon systemic well-being.

First, let's look at some of the direct effects of acupuncture treatments:

1. Blood Circulation: Placing acupuncture needles in strategic locations enhances blood flow, which increases the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the target tissues, and also helps to flush out toxins, thereby promoting recovery.

2.  Bone Marrow Stimulation: Studies are showing that acupuncture can stimulate bone marrow to release stem cells that aid in repair and recovery.

3. Hormone Balance: Acupuncture studies demonstrate that acupuncture needles do not just affect the blood, but also support hormone regulation and balance, which is important for dealing with menstrual,  stress and thyroid issues.

4. Nervous System:  There are several ways of looking at the nervous system. There is the peripheral and central nervous system, which together regulate digestion, immunity and stress. Additionally, there is the sympathetic tone and parasympathetic tone. Sympathetic tone tends to keep us ramped up and parasympathetic tone tends to be more active in rest and digest states of being.  Acupuncture can target the vagus nerve, which in turn downregulates sympathetic tone and upregulates parasympathetic tone, thereby calming the nervous system, enhancing digestion, reducing stress hormones and promoting repair and recovery.

5. Neurotransmitter Release: It is well known that acupuncture stimulates our mood states. After just thirty minutes on the table, clients will report that "I haven't felt this calm or relaxed in ages". So how does that happen? The simple answer is that acupuncture needles trigger the release of a whole group of neurotransmitters that reduce pain and enhance mood including endorphins, serotonin and dopamine.

As an outcome of these effects we can therefore list the benefits of acupuncture as follows:

1.  Enhanced Digestion.

2.  Enhanced Immunity.

3.  Enhanced Tissue Repair.

4.  Improved Mental Clarity & Cognitive Function.

5.  Improved Emotional States.

6.  Improved Quality of Sleep.

7.  Pain Relief without drugs. 

8.  Stress and Anxiety Reduction.

Specifically, evidence-based studies are being used to show that acupuncture treatments cause metabolic changes that affect both physiology and mental well-being by enhancing the production and/or release of specific chemicals and cell types including:

1.  Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide: A powerful vasodilator that promotes circulation and stimulates the repair of blood vessels.

2.  Erythrocytes: Red Blood cells carry oxygen that fuels metabolic processes and increases energy production in cells.

3.  Glutamate: Promotes the repair of cell damage.

4.  Leukocytes: White blood cells are used in immunity protection and fighting infection.

5.  Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Stem cells are important for tissue repair and pain mitigation.

6.  Natural Opioids: Beta-endorphins, enkephalin and dynorphin all of which help to relieve pain.

7.  Nerve Growth Factor: Promotes the repair of nerve cells.

8.  Prostaglandins: Help to reduce inflammation.

9.  Serotonin: A powerful neurotransmitter that downregulates pain, enhances mood, regulates digestion, enhances sleep and plays a pivotal role in mental health, especially where issues of anxiety and depression are involved. Serotonin is mostly made in the gut, so a healthy, stress-free gut system promotes serotonin production.