Studying Acupuncture, One Needle Prick at a Time

For at least 2,000 years Chinese healers have used acupuncture to treat pain and other ailments. Now Western doctors want proof that it works.

There is little dispute that people feel better after receiving the treatment, in which thin needles are inserted deeply into the skin at specific points on the body. But are they benefiting from acupuncture itself, or just getting a placebo effect?

The debate was fueled last week by a study in the journal Arthritis Care and Research.

New York Times, August 23, 2010