Brain studies have shown how acupuncture can reduce pain in the body, a major conference was told last night.
Scientists in Germany have used the scanning technique of functional MRI to study the responses of the brain to the therapy.
They say that during acupuncture, activity of the brain in its pain-processing areas is significantly reduced.
It also affects areas where patients suffer from expectation of pain.
The findings are being presented to the conference of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, USA. The researchers studied 18 healthy volunteers – stimulating pain in the left ankle through electric currents.
Dr Nina Theysohn, of the University Hospital in Essen, Germany, said: "Until now, the role of acupuncture in the perception and processing of pain has been controversial.
"Functional MRI gives us the opportunity to directly observe areas of the brain that are activated during pain perception and see the variances that occur with acupuncture."
She said the findings suggested acupuncture could successfully help relieve pain.
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