How Might Acupuncture Work?

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04/03/2008

• It is proposed that acupuncture produces its effects through regulating the nervous system, thus aiding the activity of pain-killing biochemicals such as endorphins and immune system cells at specific sites in the body.

• In addition, studies have shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones.

• This affects the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary body functions, such as immune reactions and processes that regulate a person's blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature, and hormone secretion.15,16