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Needles were then placed at three locations — between the toes, below the knee, and near the thumb — and the scan was repeated while the electrical stimulus was again directed at the left ankle. acupuncture for stress reliefThe scans showed less activation of brain areas involved in pain perception while the needles were in place. Acupuncture also may quicken recovery. A review published in the January 2017 Programme Grants for Applied Research examined 29 trials involving 18,000 people diagnosed with chronic pain in the neck, lower back, head, or knee. The report showed that the addition of acupuncture, compared with just standard medical care, reduced the number of headaches and migraine attacks and lowered the severity of neck and lower back pain. Keep in mind that acupuncture may not work for everyone, and other research has shown poor or mixed results. For instance, a 2014 study in The Journal of the American Medical Association found acupuncture was not more effective than a sham acupuncture treatment for treating knee arthritis. During your initial visit, the acupuncturist evaluates your health history, including your current symptoms and lifestyle habits. The number of needles and locations during a treatment depends on your ailment. Acupuncture needles range in size from 0.14 to 0.2 millimeters in diameter and have fine tapered tips. (In comparison, human hair is about 0.18 millimeters.) The needles are inserted with a guide tube and stay in place for five to 30 minutes.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.health.harvard.edu/alternative-and-complementary-medicine/the-finer-points-of-acupuncture
