Dr. Na Zhai Clinic Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine

Does Acupuncture really works?

I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western medical schools in 1989. At the time, I was a complete skeptic about acupuncture.

My disbelief was challenged, however, by a front-page article in an authoritative national newspaper. It reported a remarkable clinical study from the Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine—China’s largest stroke treatment and research center. The article claimed that a unique acupuncture technique had allowed 66% of 5,168 acute stroke patients to return to daily life, with some even resuming their jobs. I thought it was impossible.

Driven by sheer curiosity, I applied for a Ph.D. position at that very university. I was determined to find out what was really happening: did acupuncture cause a genuine physiological change in the brain, or was it merely a psychological effect?

My research led to an innovative experiment. To visualize cerebral circulation in rats, we injected a special red dye directly into the left ventricle of the heart while it was still beating. The heart's own natural pumping force then distributed the dye throughout the bloodstream, including to the brain. This method allowed us to map brain circulation accurately, avoiding the potential artifacts of manual perfusion.

The rat's normal brain circulation

The bottom brain circulation

The side brain circulation

The inside brain circulation
 

Three hundred and sixty-seven rats underwent surgical occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAo), creating a distinct ischemic area in the brain. This clear-cut "window" allowed us to monitor if any rescue blood flow could be introduced. After all, without blood, there is no life. The result of severing the artery was a stark, bloodless region.Three hundred sixty-seven rats' middle cerebral artery MCA had been surgically wholly severed (MCAo), which created a clear-cut ischemic area as a window to monitor if any rescue blood came into play. After all, without blood, without life.

 

The yellow arrow indicates the sever site of middle cerebral artery  

The result after Severing the artery.                                                                                 If the acupuncture method is effective we must see blood in the white areaf the acupuncture method was genuinely effective, we would have to see new blood entering that white area..                                                  

 

Here are the results.

The findings from the acupuncture group astonished me. Below is a comparison of the effects in the acupuncture group versus the non-acupuncture group at 3, 6, 24, and 48 hours after MCAo.

3 Hours After MCAo
The image on the left shows the non-acupuncture group; the one on the right shows the acupuncture group.

The result in the acupuncture group shucked me. Take a look at acupuncture effects at 3, 6, 24, and 48 hours after MCAo compared to the non-acupuncture group.

3 hours after MCAo                                                                                                                                   Non-acupuncture group on the left. Acupuncture group on the right. 

   

  6 hours after MCAo

         

24 hours after MCAo

       

48 hours after MCAo

   

The results were clear: Yes, rescue blood entered the ischemic area. It arrived in reverse, flowing from the interconnected endings of other major cerebral arteries—a network concentrated near the sagittal suture.

In a healthy brain, the Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) typically receives blood directly from the Circle of Willis. However, when the MCA was completely severed, our study revealed that an auxiliary network could be immediately activated. This network provided a collateral pathway, supplying rescue blood to the compromised region.

This process is governed by the Circle of Willis, a critical circulatory structure at the base of the brain that connects all major cerebral arteries. It functions as a central hub to regulate blood supply. If a primary route like the MCA is blocked, the Circle of Willis can redirect blood pressure and flow. It pushes rescue blood through the connecting network at the ends of the arteries, enabling a reverse supply into the ischemic area.

This pivotal finding led to the next critical question: did this restored blood flow actually preserve the neurons?

To answer this, we pursued histochemistry research. The goal was to determine whether the neurons within the ischemic area were still alive.

The histochemistry results provided a definitive answer. Areas stained blue indicated live, functioning neurons. In stark contrast, the white areas represented zones of neuronal death caused by the complete occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAo).

36 hours after MCAo without acupuncture

 

36 hours after MCAo with acupuncture

Five rats' brain showed the same result

In the acupuncture group, a small white area persisted in the subcortex, indicating that the treatment's neuroprotective effect did not fully reach this region. This limitation is likely due to the inherently lower baseline blood circulation in the subcortical area compared to the cortex. The cerebral perfusion image below, taken under microscopy, illustrates this fundamental difference in vascular supply between the two regions.

                       

              You might reasonably ask: If this auxiliary network exists, why do people still suffer devastating strokes?

You raise a vital point. In reality, stroke is often the culmination of a slow process—years of systemic strain on the cardiovascular and neural systems. By the time the emergency occurs, the body's inherent self-healing capacity is often depleted and too limited to mount an adequate response.

This is precisely where our findings suggest acupuncture plays a critical role. It appears to act as a powerful systemic regulator and resource mobilizer. Rather than targeting just one area, acupuncture seems to coordinate a whole-body response. It prompts the cardiovascular system to work more efficiently, potentially increasing cardiac output and redirecting circulation to prioritize the brain.

In essence, acupuncture doesn't just "add" something new; it empowers and optimizes the body's existing self-healing systems during a crisis. By enhancing systemic coordination and circulation, it can help secure a far better recovery than the compromised body could achieve on its own.

Conclusion

Therefore, acupuncture is not only effective for chronic conditions but also demonstrates remarkable potential as an adjunct therapy in acute emergency situations, such as stroke.