Needle Use in Traditional Acupuncture Minimized

Think acupuncture can only be performed with needles. Think again. In a study performed in Sweden, researchers conducted four tests to see how acupuncture, standard medical treatments and acupuncture without needles affected four control groups who were suffering from nausea. At the end of the study, it was found that 67% of acupuncture participants had their symptoms improve, while only 37% of standard medical participants had improvements. What is particularly interesting about this study, though, is that there was no difference between the two acupuncture groups at all: the effectiveness of traditional acupuncture treatment, with needles, and those who received "simulated acupuncture" ("acupuncture ... with a telescopic, blunt placebo needle that merely touches the skin") reported the same level of nausea relief, implying that the needle use in traditional acupuncture isn't as integral to acupuncture as once thought. Therefore, researchers are theorizing whether the positive effects of acupuncture have more to do with "increased care" [and the] "extra time for rest and relaxation," rather than the placement and precise manipulation of the needles. This study is quite intriguing in that it begs the question about what exactly is it about acupuncture that is so effective. According to the World Health Organization, acupuncture has been proven to treat sprains, headaches, dental pain, stroke, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, biliary colic and hay fever, among many other diseases and conditions. If this documented success isn't dependent upon the needles, then what exactly is it dependent upon? With hope, time will tell.