Your body has a built-in painkiller system. Acupuncture may switch in on.

A tiny needle doesn’t seem like it should calm severe pain… but research continues to show otherwise.

Acupuncture has been used for centuries to help relieve pain, reduce migraines, support labor and delivery, and promote overall wellness. Once dismissed by many as simply a placebo, modern science is now uncovering the measurable ways acupuncture affects the body.

Studies show acupuncture may help:

• Release natural pain-relieving chemicals

• Activate immune responses

• Reduce inflammation

• Alter pain signals in the brain

• Provide pain relief with fewer side effects than some medications

Scientists are uncovering how a needle can trigger a chain reaction inside the body, activating immune cells, releasing pain-modulating chemicals, and altering brain activity. What’s emerging is a clearer picture of a measurable, body-wide response, one that is helping position acupuncture as a low-cost, non-addictive option in pain management worldwide.

In one randomized emergency room study, acupuncture relieved acute pain more quickly and effectively than IV morphine — with fewer side effects.

Source: National Geographic