Do you suffer from chronic pain? Maybe acupuncture is just what the doctor ordered. Millions of people say that acupuncture has alleviated their suffering and boosted their bodies, but others insist that it's more rooted in belief than scientific fact. Is acupuncture really the cure for what ails you, or does it only turn you into a human pincushion?
I am a neuroscientist and have read much fMRI (functional MRI) literature. This is a very tricky technique requiring many subjects and strict protocol - because the brain is constantly displaying chaotic activity and responding to a host of internal and external stimuli. Most fMRI studies are frankly unreliable, or should be considered preliminary at best.
It is profoundly naive to declare that MRIs don't lie. (To be clear, this study was done with fMRI, which looks a brain blood flow and infers activity from this.)
Without proper blinding with large numbers of subjects with carefully controlled conditions, the results of fMRI studies cannot be interpreted. Also, even when done well you cannot derive direct conclusions from them, they need to be put into the perspective of current models of neuroanatomy and function.
There is no neuroanatomy of qi or acupuncture points. These fMRI studies of acupuncture are little more than Rorschach tests.
American Association of Acupuncture...
The reason is that MRI's are EXPENSIVE. To run a study with hundreds of patients performing before/after MRI's is cost prohibitive. If we had all the money in the world to throw at detailed studies of acupuncture, it would demonstrate it's efficacy.
These "preliminary" findings consistently demonstrate acupuncture's neurological effects.
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