Acupuncture

By Tom Wilson

Acupuncture
What it's best for : Pain, nausea

May also help : Menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, carpel tunnel syndrome, asthma, &, and arthritis

How it works : That depends on who's doing the explaining. A traditional Chinese healer will say that inserting acupuncture needles helps to control the flow of qi (pronounced chee), a vital force that governs health. Qi is said to circulate from one organ to another along a network of pathways known as meridians. Illness occurs when this force becomes blocked or unbalanced.

Mainstream doctors typically don't recognize the concepts of qi and meridians. However, research shows that hair-thin acupuncture needles stimulate tiny nerves in the skin that transmit signals to the brain, which in turn release painkilling proteins called endorphins. "It's like you're having a morphine injection, without the side effects or complications, "says Nader Soliman, MD, president of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in America has said that there's reasonable scientific proof that acupuncture can ease pain. (In one recent study, University of Maryland researchers found that a group of people with arthritic knees who had twice-weekly acupuncture sessions for 6 months were less stiff and sore than another group that didn't receive the needle treatment.) Meanwhile, NIH officials feel there is "clear evidence" that pinprick therapy relieves nausea caused by chemotherapy and surgery. In fact, a 2004 study found acupuncture to be more effective than standard anti nausea drugs for women recovering from breast surgery, though why the treatment helps this and other non-pain related conditions remains a mystery.

In a typical acupuncture session, which lasts a half-hour or so, you sit or lie in a comfortable position as the practitioner inserts anywhere from a half-dozen to 15 needles into your skin. Some will be placed near the source of pain or illness - on your wrist for carpal tunnel syndrome, for instance. But needles may also be inserted at one of more than 400 "acupoints " on the body. These spots appear to somehow influence distant organs.

Got a sinus headache? You may end up with needles in your feet.

Patients usually report some tingling or soreness that faders quickly. "It feels like a mosquito bite, " says rheumatologist Charis Meng, MD of New York's Hospital for Special Surgery, whose research has found that acupuncture helps relieve back pain, "Most people tend to be pleasantly surprised. It's more relaxing than they thought it would be."

Some conditions clear up with just a few sessions, but persistent problems, such as chronic back pain, usually require monthly visits.