Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese method, and this Chinese medicine practice assumes the existence of "longitudes" and "energy flows". Is this really validated?

In her report, published by the French newspaper lefigaro, writer Cecile Tibert mentions that acupuncture is used to treat all kinds of ailments, from chronic back pain to osteoporosis, migraines and disorders related to pregnancy. But what is the truth of this practice? How does this branch of traditional Chinese medicine affect? Is its effectiveness proven?

Acupuncture is said to have originated in the East long ago, and has been a subject of interest since the 1960s, under Mao Zedong's rule. This practice is based on the idea that a vital energy crossing the body, called qi, is spread through channels called meridians, and an imbalance or blockage of this energy may cause health problems.

"By treating acupuncture points, we release energies and regulate the vitality of the breaths in order to harmonize them," says the president of the French Acupuncture Society, Gilles Andres. This doctor denies there is a scientific explanation for these energy flows and points.

In fact, none of the 3,000 or so studies published since 1970 has been able to explain what "chi" is, or prove the physical existence of meridians and acupuncture points that exceed 300 acupuncture. These abstract concepts have no anatomical truth. Chinese medicine has developed in a society that rejects the human anatomy.

Acupuncture originated in the East long ago and has been a subject of interest since the 1960s (Getty Images)

Anatomy form

Because they were unable to examine the internal part of the body, the Chinese have developed a very fanciful model of human anatomy, explains journalist Simon Singh and physician Edzard Ernst in their book "A Truth About Alternative Medicine" published at the end of 2019. Thus we can understand why there is no mechanism. To explain how acupuncture works. Several theories have been put forward (such as secreting pain-relieving molecules from twitching, and stimulating nerve fibers), but none has been proven.

This hasn't stopped many researchers from focusing on acupuncture. And between the sixties and nineties, most of the studies were conducted in China, and most of them had positive results. As a result, scientists have developed retractable telescopic needles that give you a tingling sensation, but do not actually penetrate the skin.

A placebo

The vast majority of these studies - which are currently the best - show that there is no difference in efficacy between "real" acupuncture and "fake" acupuncture. But it also shows that these two procedures are more beneficial than no treatment. And in a report published in 2013, the Academy of Medicine concluded that "the placebo effect is the most plausible mechanism for acupuncture to work."

In France, acupuncture is restricted to doctors, midwives and dentists. But according to the Academy of Medicine, there are more non-health professionals who practice it (4,000 to 6,000 people compared to 4,000 doctors). However, according to the Ministry of Health, they are at risk of "prosecution for illegally practicing medicine."