How does acupuncture work?

14th March 2026 | Business, Health

You may have heard phrases like ‘energy flow’ or ‘qi moving through channels’ (all very true) but if you’re the type who likes a bit of evidence with your wellness then you may find the following informative. Modern science has been very busy confirming what Eastern Medicine has been developing for thousands of years.

Acupuncture changes your brain activity

Scientists have studied what happens when people are in the MRI scanners and having acupuncture treatment. The brain reacts a lot! Activation and calming takes place in areas like:

  • Amygdala – your emotional fire alarm (Han 2004; Langevin et al.,2011)
  • Hippocampus – memory, stress processing
  • Anterior cingulate cortex – pain regulation
  • Sensorimotor regions – how your body ‘maps’ pain and movement
  • The Vagus Nerve: The ‘Chill Switch’
  • There is some famous research on the inflammatory reflex, completed by Kevin Tracey. This tells us that when the Vagus nerve is happy, your whole body becomes more ‘Zen’. (Tracey 2002; 2009). This pathway helps to regulate heart rate, digestion, immune function and stress resilience.
  • Acupuncture releases Adenosine (your body’s own painkiller)
  • Basically, acupuncture tells the cells ‘Come on, we’ve got healing to do – let’s go!’ (Research by Takano et al, 2012 and research by Burnstock 2009)
  • Acupuncture Points Are Real and Measurable (not imaginary dots drawn thousands of years ago after too much rice wine!)
  • Modern imaging can reveal that acupoints are physically different from the tissue around them. Your acupuncturist is trained to feel this difference.
  • Wrist acupoints show higher levels of oxygen compared to the surrounding tissue (Hong et al., 2012)
  • This means acupoints aren’t ‘Woo woo’ they’re biological hotspots.

So … What is Acupuncture?  It is:

  • Neurophysiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Cellular signalling
  • Vagus-nerve wizardry

And yes, a wonderful holistic system of medicine! There’s nothing magical about it, although from my own personal experience of treatment, it feels magical and the body is allowed to do what it does best… it gets better.

Kerry is your local acupuncturist, striving to provide effective, professional healthcare. For more information, please visit https://kerryacupuncture.co.uk or call 07715 458 064.