Acupuncture linked to brain activity

The therapy is commonly used as a pain reliever but scientists have been unclear about how it works.

But a study by experts from York University and the Hull York Medical School indicates acupuncture has a significant impact on specific structures in the brain.

When a patient is given acupuncture treatment, a sensation known as deqi is triggered which in turn deactivates areas in the brain associated with the processing of pain.

Hugh MacPherson, of the complementary medicine research group in York's Department of Health Sciences, said: "These results provide objective scientific evidence that acupuncture has specific effects within the brain which hopefully will lead to a better understanding of how acupuncture works."

Neuroscientist Dr Aziz Asghar, of the York Neuroimaging Centre and the Hull York Medical School, said the results were "fascinating".

"Whether such brain deactivations constitute a mechanism which underlies or contributes to the therapeutic effect of acupuncture is an intriguing possibility which requires further research," he added.

Last year acupuncture was recommended for the first time in the wake of research in York by the watchdog National Institute for Clinical Excellence as a treatment option for people with lower back pain.