The ancient Chinese technique of sticking needles into the skin to relieve pain, nausea and many other ills can indeed make people feel better -- more mellow and more energized.
Many researchers used to think this lovely state was mostly due to the placebo effect. But a growing body of evidence -- brain scans, ultrasound and other techniques -- shows that acupuncture triggers direct, measurable effects on the body, including perhaps, activation of precisely the regions of the brain that would be predicted by ancient Chinese theory.
"The quality and amount of research being conducted now on acupuncture is improving greatly," said Peter Wayne, director of research at the New England School of Acupuncture. The school has received $3.2 million in federal grants to study acupuncture on women undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian cancer, on teenagers with endometriosis, and on the accuracy of acupuncturists in diagnosing disease.
At UC Irvine, researchers have shown that when a needle is placed in a point on the side of the foot that Chinese theorists associate with vision, sure enough, the visual cortex in the brain "lights up" on fMRI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging scans, though the cause and effect are not totally clear.
Neuroscientist Seung-Schik Yoo at Brigham and Women's Hospital has shown that when a needle is placed in a point called pericardium 6 on the wrist, known in Chinese medicine as a sensitive point for nausea, the part of the brain that controls the vestibular system (which affects balance and nausea) lights up on scans.
Acupuncture has been used so far by 8.2 million Americans, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a government agency. Some insurers now pay for acupuncture, which is considered extremely safe.
More than 40 clinical trials have shown that acupuncture reduces nausea following chemotherapy or surgery, said Ted Kaptchuk, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who is also a doctor of Chinese medicine.
In one of the best studies, Dr. Tong J. Gan, director of clinical research in anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center, showed last year that acupuncture on the wrist point was "as good as giving ondansetron," an anti-nausea drug, for postoperative nausea and vomiting.
And a recent randomized, controlled study of 570 people with osteoarthritis of the knee showed that real acupuncture, as opposed to a fake form used as a control, reduced pain and increased function by about 30%.
