The biggest controversy involving acupuncture is whether or not it is effective. As of right now, we do not have any objective evidence that acupuncture is effective. At the same time, we do not have any objective evidence proving that it is not effective. Here is a list of all the different theories of its effectiveness and what I have found while doing this project. 

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Theories

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       There are many different theories on acupuncture's effectiveness. I call them the “Gate Theory,” the “Traditional Chinese Theory,” the “Western Theory,” the “Placebo Theory,” the “Clarity Theory,” the “Five Elements Theory,” and finally, the theory that it does not work.

        The Traditional Chinese Theory is that Qi runs through the whole body and controls the whole body. Ph.D. in acupuncture and current practitioner Dr. Meghan Gray says "pain and disease are caused by a block of Qi. Just like a car accident, once it's stuck you have all this backup. We use needles and put them in certain points of the body to direct the Qi to move the energy along and reroute it to where it flows correctly." Acupuncturists move the Qi around the body through the meridians and acupoints (Dr. Gray, Meghan). 

       The Gate Theory is based on pain. Ronald Melzack, a Nobel prize winner in 1965 for this discovery, states that pain is transmitted through nerves. Some of these nerves are pain receptors. Without these nerves, we would feel pain every time we touch something. When these nerves are overwhelmed with pain then they let some through the "gate" and that is how we feel pain (James, Peter, 42-45).    Acupuncture works by getting into these gates and telling them to close so that we feel less pain (Levy, Suzanne).

       The Fivelements theory is a more detailed version of the traditional Chinese theory where there is some sort of energy flowing through the body and an imbalance of this energy results in disease or pain. The five elements are fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. The "produce" lines indicate when elements produce other elements. This theory is very literal. For example wood produces fire -  fire needs wood to burn so wood produces fire. The "control" lines represent one element overpowering another. For example, fire controls metal; fire, if it is hot enough, can shape and control metal so fire controls metal. If you have too much wood element then you will also have too much fire because wood produces fire, and you will also have too little earth because wood controls earth. This can further spiral until your whole body is out of balance (Dr. Corca, Damina).

       The five elements theory includes Yin and Yang in its definition of energy. Yin is everything that is feminine, cool, still, and substantial while Yang is everything that is hot, movement, masculine, and functional. Every element has a Yin type and a Yang type. The excess or deficit of different types of different elements leads the practitioner to where the problem is. In this theory, the main goal of the acupuncturist is to balance the five elements and the Yin and Yang (Dr. Gray, Meghan).

       The Western Theory is that the needles trigger the immune cells to go and find where the problem is. Dr. Gray says it "directs the immune cells to where the problem is." This theory is popular in the West because it is easily understandable and can be scientifically explained. 

       The Placebo Theory is based on the Placebo Effect, believing that something works when it doesn’t have any actual physical effect. The act of putting the needle into the skin does nothing, but thinking that it is doing something causes an effect. There is a branch of acupuncture called sham or Vero acupuncture where they insert needles into points not on the meridians or not actual acupoints. Patients physically feel as though they are getting a real acupuncture visit because they believe that they are getting one. 

       Dr. Gray also put forward the “Clarity Theory” which says that the simple act of coming into the practice and laying down for 30 minutes or so with nothing to do can have a healing effect on people. She says "The act of sitting alone for 30 minutes without a phone or anybody to talk to is good for your body and your mind. I think that because we're in a very rushed society and we don't usually get time to be still, that alone is probably helpful for our health,” (Dr. Gray, Meghan).

       The theory that acupuncture primarily is not effective is really only believed in the West. This theory states that acupuncture is no more than a placebo. A study of acupuncture patients shows that there was little difference between the effects of sham acupuncture and real acupuncture, demonstrating that real acupuncture is only beneficial because of the placebo effect. Pain has not been cured and when symptoms remain unsolved we tend to grasp at straws to explain the unsolved symptoms. Acupuncture is one of those straws (Colquhoun, David).

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My studies

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       I conducted an interview with a Ph.D. in acupuncture and current practitioner in Fort Collins, Colorado, Dr. Meghan Gray. During this visit, I also had a treatment that was prescribed by her based on her diagnosis of my condition. When I arrived we talked about the basics behind acupuncture than we went more in-depth on the different theories of why acupuncture is successful. 

       After the interview, she started taking my pulse. Experienced practitioners can take your pulse on both of your wrists and based on the flow of your blood give an accurate description of your Qi condition. This process takes about 1 or 2 years to learn. Then she told me to stick out my tongue. The tongue is the only muscle that can be seen without cutting open the skin. She looked at my tongue and then gave me an even more detailed description of some Qi problems. Within 15 minutes she went from knowing nothing about my energy state or any problems in my flow of Qi to putting needles in acupoints to treat the problems I was unaware of. 

       After the treatment, I felt more relaxed and focused. She treated me for stress and anxiety, and since the treatment, I have felt very little stress about things like tests that used to freak me out. In my experience, acupuncture has been very effective. 

       I sent out a survey to acupuncture patients via Facebook and other social media platforms to get some answers from actual patients. Some questions I asked were: what is the reason for your visit, how many treatments have you received in your life, what are some of the benefits you experienced from acupuncture, and asked them to rate the pain they experienced during the treatment. From this survey, I have found out that acupuncture is used for an array of conditions such as PTSD, digestive issues, cancer treatment, menstrual cycle, and a big appetite. 54% of people feel little to no pain, only 6.4% of people feel moderate discomfort and 0% of people feel anything worse than moderate discomfort. 

       For all of the data from the survey click this link.