Acupuncture in Wall Street Journal

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This article describes how scientists are using ultra-sound, thermal imaging, and neuroimaging to show the effects of acupuncture. Scientists found that many of the 365 acupuncture points correspond to nerve bundles or muscle trigger points and several meridians track major arteries and nerves. Acupuncture is being used by U.S. Army and Navy doctors for musculoskeletal problems, pain and stress in stateside hospitals and combat zones, and by Acupuncturists without Borders in Haiti after the earthquake. Major medical centers like M.D. Anderson in Houston to Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York use acupuncture to counteract the side effects of chemotherapy.

"Studies at the Martinos Center have shown that patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful compression of nerves in the wrist, have heightened activity in parts of the brain that regulate sensation and fear, but after acupuncture, their brain patterns more closely resemble those of healthy subjects. Brain scans of patients with fibromyalgia show that both acupuncture and sham acupuncture (using real needles on random points in the body) cause the release of endorphins. But real acupuncture also increased the number of receptors for pain-reducing neurotransmitters, bringing patients even more relief."read complete article at Wall Street Journal, Decoding an Ancient Therapynyctcm.edu, Acupuncture in Wall Street Journal, Mar 2010

You should read the whole article.