Is Acupuncture in your Head?
The answer is a resounding YES!
Many people think that Acupuncture’s effectiveness is all imaginary---that it’s all a placebo effect. They think it’s all in the head! They think you must believe in acupuncture in order for it to work.
This is definitely not the case. Acupuncture works equally well in infants and small children. No placebo effect occurs in infants! Equally important, acupuncture is very effective when used by trained veterinarians to treat animals such as horses, dogs, cats, etc. Positive results in these animals are often rapid and very dramatic. Again, no belief system or placebo effect can account for this.
The brain responds to Acupuncture
Acupuncture has a profound effect on the brain. Western medicine studies have shown that by using tiny needles beneath the skin to stimulate different points around the body, the brain will respond by releasing specific chemicals, such as endorphins and serotonin. These chemicals play very important roles in the body’s sensation of pain and well-being. Also, advanced technical tests such as functional MRI’s and PET scans of the brain have shown changes in brain function and chemical production when certain distant acupuncture points on the feet and legs are stimulated.
So we certainly know that acupuncture affects brain function. We also know that repeated stimulation of the brain by acupuncture can gradually cause the brain to lessen or stop sending abnormal signals, such as pain or dysfunction, to other parts of the body that may have been injured long ago. In many cases, these areas should no longer be feeling pain or be dysfunctional. Some examples are chronic conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, or even “phantom limb” pain in amputees.
Acupuncture is a healing therapy which helps the body heal itself. It is indeed all in the head---in the brain, where healing begins.
