How does acupuncture work?

Chinese medicine calls the energy that flows through the body qi. Chinese medicine practitioners believe qi disruptions create imbalances in the body’s energy that lead to illness.

Some forms of acupuncture aim to rebalance qi with needles that touch acupuncture points (acupoints) throughout the body. There are hundreds of acupoints in the body along 14 major meridians, also called energy-carrying channels.

The needles stimulate the body’s existing systems to:

• React to an illness or symptom.

• Rebalance the body.

• Release natural chemicals, such as endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and neurotransmitters, chemicals that control nerve impulses.

From https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/4767-acupuncture