Since acupuncture has made its way into the West, there has been no shortage of research to prove what the mechanism is that allows acupuncture to work. Some of the mechanisms that have been discovered are:
- Acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins and other opiods
- Acupuncture stimulates the secretion of hormones and other brain chemicals such as serotonin
- White blood cells migrate to the areas where the acupuncture needles are inserted
- Acupuncture changes the pattern of blood flow through the body
- Brain scans on people having acupuncture have shown certain segments of the brain “light up, ” signaling that the brain has been energized to make a positive response
