Lizzie - I'm pretty sure that it works through redirecting and clearing blocked-up areas of subtle electronics in the body...subtle electronics are what activate and direct the entire nervous system. If you get that energy blocked at some junction point, you get inflammation and general bodily distress in one area, and other areas get depleted or "starved" for input. The acupuncture needles allow excess energy to flow out of the body and blocked energy to flow as it should and everything rebalances itself and things start working properly.

That's my theory. Anyway, I've witnessed its effectiveness.

This is why the Chinese spent so much time studing the acupuncture points. If you don't know where they are, then you'd have no idea where to place the needles....sort of like trying to fix a faulty computer without any schematic references for the hardware. The needle must be placed at the proper junction point to move the appropriate energy.