Sceptics have long claimed that acupuncture is all in the mind. But a ground-breaking new study has found that the ancient Chinese practice is as effective as popular painkillers for treating disabling conditions such as arthritis.
A team of scientists from two British universities made the findings after they carried out brain scans on patients while they underwent the 2,500-year-old treatment. The scans showed differences in the brain's response to acupuncture needles when compared with tests using 'dummy needles' that did not puncture the skin.
Doctors found that the part of the brain that manages pain and the nervous system responded to acupuncture needles and improved pain relief by as much as 15 per cent.
At Last the Truth About Acupuncture: It's As Good As Drugs for Treating Pain
