The Chinese calendar is still known for its astronomical accuracy. Chinese medicine is an incredible merging of theory and experience, a poem of nature and change. Of course there are more than 365 points on the body, but the 365 main points taught in acupuncture are the ones found most useful in treating diseases and pain. While scientists openly admit that acupuncture has many unknown ways of working, they have agreed on several things which help to understand the healing results of acupuncture. Much of the research has dealt with endorphins and enkephalins, the body's natural pain killers.
Acupuncture reliably stimulate the release of significant amounts of endorphins.
Acupuncture has been shown to favorably alter blood pressure and circulation, to stimulate the immune system, relax spasmed muscles, trigger the release of anti-inflammatory compounds, and more. The body does have an energy field and is dependent upon natural electricity for the operation of the nervous system, heart, and other organs. The body is an incredibly complex mechanism, and has an amazing capacity for self-repair. Acupuncture can probably best be seen as an aid to trigger the body's self-repair systems when they are not functioning optimally. Whether it is seen through the natural metaphors of the Daoists, or the brain scans of the modern researchers, acupuncture is an amazingly subtle, elegant, and effective therapy which aids the body to heal itself.