GeneralWhy Acupuncture Works

While many in our western society have accepted acupuncture as a medical treatment, there is significantly less attention on how it actually works. Some of this probably comes from the fact that the practice isn’t rooted in scientific theory and, therefore, often falls into the naturopathic category of medicine.

If you go looking for a rationale to explain acupuncture, you will find theories assuming it “stimulates the nervous system” or “activates the healing response.” These may be true, but they may not be as well. You certainly won’t hear these things from practitioners of acupuncture, as they will tell you that they affect the “qi” inside your body, clearing blockages and increasing healthy energy flow where needed.

So, which one is true? Today, Inner Wellness looks at acupuncture and posits a theory as to why it works. To do this, we must deconstruct how we affirm our knowledge and beliefs and look at the role of faith in medicine.

The Development of the Scientific Method

The history of doctors and medicine is long and sordid. From plague doctors with their terrifying crow masks to the ancient practice of bloodletting, or even further back to the times of Humorism, societies all around the world tried to improve their understanding of the human body through countless ideas and practices.

Eventually, perspectives around medicine began to conglomerate and fuse into a single, unified concept. Intellectuals exploring the natural world, as well as those looking towards the future of technology, agreed that reason must be the paramount basis for any “scientific” idea.

“If you can prove it through a rational and repeatable method”, they would say, “then we as your peers can produce the same results and further cement the idea in reality and fact.”

Here, in the 2020s, this seems so obvious and straightforward that we barely even comprehend that there could be another method. And for good reason, of course. It seems logical that repeating the same procedure, getting the same results, and independent testing should yield accurate, irrefutable facts. This is especially true when the justification for the new idea involves supporting evidence, like anatomical structures, previous research or a basis in accepted theorems.

But, it is this final point that proves the most contentious. While evidence and support should be considered, we may put too much emphasis on building on past concepts, leading to a heavy, cumbersome burden of proof.

The Inherent Flaw in Establishing Proof

The stories of Galileo Galilei and Ignaz Semmelweis illustrate this point well. Both are recognized for their advancements in scientific theory, but in their times were considered fools or worse. A large part of this ostracization was due to them challenging long-accepted theories, for which they could not provide sufficient evidence for their new method. For facts to be accepted, it seems there must also be a leap of faith by the community.

The Power of Faith

On the flip side of this, faith can often create facts. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Placebo Effect? Many look at this effect and see some weird trick of the brain to be countered and accounted for. But, we often overlook that simply believing in something gives it enough power to produce measurable physiological effects. Pseudocyesis, or the belief in a fake pregnancy, is an even more pronounced instance of this manifestation of faith. A leap of faith can lead to factual effects.

Why Acupuncture Works

So, let’s put it all together now. We know that science is not perfect and that accepted theories may have flaws. We also know that the more accepted a theory is, the harder it is to move past our faith and accept contradictory information. Plus, we’ve established that faith is strong enough to create physical manifestations. So, is acupuncture affecting the “qi” within us, or is it stimulating the nervous system?

The answer most likely lies somewhere in between. Both science and acupuncture have convincing theories that are well-established and accepted within their respective fields, but they are at direct odds with one another. And, to prove one with the other is an exercise in futility. But, acupuncture does work, as shown by scientific studies and a rich tradition of practice in China and the modern world.

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