BBC’s “Trust me, I’m a Doctor” in 2015 aroused people’s discussion of whether acupuncture could be a painkiller and a test was thus conducted and suggested a positive answer.

Dr. Saleyha Ahsan, the hostess, investigated why acupuncture was on the list of NHS for pains, such as chronic lower back pain, chronic tension-triggered headaches and migraine.

Saleyha visited Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, where she received acupuncture while lying inside an fMRI scanner. The scanner measured what was going on inside her brain whilst acupuncture needles were inserted into her hand.

 Saleyha’s brain scan showed a deactivation (a decrease of blood flow) in the limbic system, which is known as the pain matrix and in charge of pain perception. Needling her hand reduced the activity of pain matrix, which might partially explain how acupuncture works as a painkiller.

Though this show didn’t further unveil the mechanism behind, it has proved that acupuncture is a painkiller, as Saleyha said that “This is the first solid evidence I’ve seen that acupuncture can have a measurable effect on pain levels.”