It limits activity in parts of the brain tasked with gauging pain, an experiment on 18 volunteers found. Crucially, researchers believe the study shows that acupuncture does not only work on a psychological level - as a 'placebo' - but that is also has a direct 'dampening' effect on the brain's pain processing centres. Many critics believe acupuncture only works as a placebo. The experiment, conducted by researchers at the Department of Complementary and Integrative Medicine

A plant used in traditional Chinese medicine could soon become part of conventional drug design, according to a new study. With some reverse pharmacology, researchers from the University of California have shown that a centuries-old staple of alternative therapy may harbor a compound capable of suppressing chronic pain. The discovery could inspire new treatment strategies in an area of care where mainstream medication often fails. Although your local pharmacy’s glossy invento

Use of electroacupuncture (EA) – a form of acupuncture where a small electric current is passed between pairs of acupuncture needles – produces significant improvements in fatigue, anxiety and depression in as little as eight weeks for early stage breast cancer patients experiencing joint pain related to the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) to treat breast cancer. The results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial examining the intervention led by researchers at the Perel

Acupuncture involves the insertion of extremely thin needles through your skin at strategic points on your body. A key component of Traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is most commonly used to treat pain. Traditional Chinese medicine explains acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy or life force — known as qi or chi (CHEE) — believed to flow through pathways (meridians) in your body. By inserting needles into specific points along these meridians, ac