Sticking pins into a person to cure diseases may sound fishy to some, but a growing number of Torontonians swear by acupuncture. The technique is central to many types of Asian medicine, but the philosophy behind acupuncture is largely rejected by modern science. Does this practice actually work, and if so, how?
Carrie Anderson, a Toronto acupuncturist, offered her professional insight on acupuncture. The fundamental theory behind it involves a bodily energy called qi (pronounced “chi”) that circulates along certain “meridians” inside us. Many illnesses, say acupuncturists, are caused by a disruption in our qi’s flow or distribution. An acupuncturist stimulates the body at specific points where qi is supposed to flow close to the skin, trying to release or redirect qi and re-establish the body’s natural balance.
The scientific literature on acupuncture alternately supports and refutes it. Unfortunately, many of the studies are incompatible, making the findings incomparable and not entirely conclusive. No standard set of acupuncture points, for example, is used in all studies. However, many acupuncture practitioners argue that since acupuncture is tailored to the patient and their illness, the points can’t be standardized.
Another major challenge in studying acupuncture is designing appropriate controls for the complicated experiments. Misdirected “placebo” acupuncture has been shown to be as effective as the real thing, so researchers are trying to design a physiologically inert needle to use in place of acupuncture needles. Some studies now use blunted needles that don’t pierce the skin, so patients can’t tell whether they’re getting the real thing or not.
Some studies have reported that acupuncture increases blood flow, reduces inflammation, and releases endorphins. Endorphins are hormones produced in the brain that have pain-killing properties similar to opioids like morphine. These effects may explain some biochemical and physiological results of acupuncture, but there are no clues about how acupuncture may actually stimulate the body itself.
Despite the lack of scientific proof, many medical professionals in Canada have begun using acupuncture to complement their usual treatments. Dr. Judi Laprade, a professor of physical therapy at U of T, has found that acupuncture relieves chronic pain in 70 to 80 per cent of the patients she treats. She believes that many benefits can emerge from combining Eastern and Western medicines and philosophies.
As Anderson pointed out, some people find that acupuncture works for them, and some people don’t.
“If people feel better afterwards, why worry about the cause?” she said.
This attitude isn’t without precedent. Willow bark was used for centuries as a painkiller before the chemical responsible was identified and mass-produced as Aspirin, and even then the biochemical reason for its effectiveness wasn’t clear until the 1970s. While aspirin has been scientifically shown to be effective, acupuncture so far has not. But with time, science may help refine the practice of acupuncture and render it universally effective.
