You won't fall asleep getting shiatsu or tui na. You will feel thoroughly massaged. Dr. Shen Acupuncture is a medical system involving the insertion of hair-thin sterile needles at specific points on the body. Hundreds of modern, double blind studies have proven beyond reasonable doubt that acupuncture works. There are theories, but no certain answers.
Some scientists believe that acupuncture works by affecting the central nervous system.
They theorize that the needles stimulate nerves in the peripheral nervous system, and thus affect the central nervous system. Others point to studies that show that acupuncture causes the body to make pain relieving chemicals called endorphins. This, they think, is the mechanism behind the effectiveness of acupuncture. In the body as in any irrigation system, these flows can be regulated by gates that open or restrict these flows. In our bodies, these gates are the acupuncture points, and by manipulating them an acupuncturist can control the flow of energy.