r. Bruce Pomeranz, a neurophysiologist at the University of Toronto, established that acupuncture releases naturally produced, morphine-like substances called endorphins (Crute).In addition to releasing endorphins, doctors and clinicians know that acupuncture can provide at least short-term relief for a wide range of pains by inhibiting the transmission of pain impulses through the nerves. Furthermore, recent studies also show acupuncture to be effective in alleviating bronchial asthma, bronchitis, and stroke-induced paralysis (Apostolides). "I'm a healthy skeptic," says Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Mary McCaul (Apostolides). "But look, we don't have all the answers. Patients who choose acupuncture feel calmer. Even if it's a placebo effect, placebos are powerful things."Mind-Body HealingRelaxation techniques like meditation and biofeedback--which teach patients to control heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and other involuntary functions through concentration--have also given respectability to alternative medicine and are routinely taught to patients and medical students. The basic premise of mind-body medicine is that the power of the mind can be used to help heal the body by improving the person's attitude and also, as recent research has shown, by direct effects on the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems (Epiro and Walsh). Although many of the biochemical and physiological mechanisms remain to be identified, an increasing body of evidence is showing that the healthy mind is indeed capable of mobilizing the immune system-and that the troubled mind can dampen the functioning of the immune system and contribute to physical disease. There is little doubt that state of mind and physiological processes are closely linked. The connection between stress and immune system response, for example, is well documented (Epiro and Walsh). Some scientists suggest that the power of prayer and faith healing, like some forms of meditation...
