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Acupuncture Affects the Brain
Monday, January 23, 2006
The BBC reports on new scientific research that appears to give some clues as to how acupuncture might work.
A team of scientists took brain scans of volunteers whilst they were undergoing acupuncture. Some volunteers were given the full acupuncture treatment with needles embedded 1cm into the back of the hand. Others only had the needles embedded by 1mm.
The results surprised the scientists. The "shallow" needles activated the pain response as expected. But with the full acupuncture "deep needling" the limbic system was being deactivated.
This research is important because it shows a direct correlation between acupuncture and activity in the human brain.
The new research will be featured in a BBC TV programme "Alternative Medicine: The Evidence".
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