TV Scope: Alternative Medicine, BBC2, 9pm, Tuesday, 24th January
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years in the east to treat a myriad of illnesses. Over the past 20 years or so, it has found favour with westerners looking for an alternative to the perceived shortcomings of conventional medicine. But although there are reams of anecdotal accounts of its efficacy, very little in the way of scientifically based research on its powers exists. That is, until now.
In a well-presented and engaging programme, Alternative Medicine, Kathy Sykes, professor of public engagement in science and engineering at Bristol University, investigates the claims of practitioners and recipients of acupuncture.
Travelling to China, she witnesses the use of needles said to cure everything from bells palsy to smoking addiction. In a remarkable scene, we see a 23-year-old factory worker undergo open heart surgery while acupuncture was used in conjunction with a mild sedative. Conscious throughout the procedure, she reported feeling no pain during or after the ordeal.
Her recovery was speedy, helped by the fact that she did not suffer the unwelcome side effects of general anaesthesia.
Another bonus of opting for treatment under acupuncture was that hospitals charge only a third of the price compared with procedures performed under general anaesthetic.
Sykes travelled next to the US to view research to ascertain if acupuncture can influence osteoarthritis of the knees. Using two sets of patients - one given acupuncture and the other group receiving sham needles - the patients who received genuine treatment reported not only less pain but reduced inflammation and increased mobility following the experiment.
The study was carried out under extremely strict research protocols and left scientists in little doubt that acupuncture works in knee arthritis.
But the big question is, how does it work?
Returning to the UK, Sykes put together a top-class clinical and research team which included a doctor who specialises in acupuncture.
Using cutting edge MRI scanning technology, the study's participants were divided into two groups. The first were given superficial acupuncture. A second group was administered deep acupuncture into the same pressure points.
MRI scans revealed that both sets of subjects showed brain activation in the motor cortex area - the part of the brain that responds to pain or touch. However, those who received deeper acupuncture, and where the needles were rotated - a process known as de chi - showed deactivation of the brain's limbic system. The limbic system is an area deep within the brain which is concerned with pain perception. It now appears that de chi changes the brain's pain thresholds.
For the first time ever, science has been able to show that acupuncture does indeed have a measurable affect on the brain.
The doubting Thomases of this world, and I have to admit that includes me, will have to review their stance on acupuncture. Maybe we've just found the proverbial needle in the alternative haystack!
• Marion Kerr is a practising occupational therapist.