中文版
针灸到底是什么？
简单来说： 针灸是中医的一种传统疗法，医师将非常纤细的针，刺入体表特定的「穴位」，以调节气血、疏通经络。它已有两千多年的历史，如今在全球范围内被广泛用于健康调理。
在现代针灸中，所用的针远比抽血或打针的针细得多，因此过程通常温和，几乎无痛。
关键要点
- 针灸通过在特定穴位施针，传统上用于调节气血、疏通经络。
- 现代研究正从神经、免疫与结缔组织等角度，逐步揭示针灸的作用机制。
- 针灸传统上用于缓解多种疼痛与不适，但效果因人而异。
- 应由注册中医师根据个人体质与情况评估是否适合。
针灸如何起作用？中医与现代科学怎么看
中医理论
根据中医理论，人体的气血沿「经络」运行，穴位是经络上的特定位置。当气血运行不畅，「不通则痛」。针灸通过刺激穴位，传统上用于疏通经络、调和气血，帮助身体恢复平衡。
现代科学视角
现代研究提出了多种可能机制：施针会引发局部「机械信号转导」，促使皮肤中的肥大细胞释放组胺、血清素与腺苷等物质，进而激活神经末梢，将信号传向大脑的疼痛处理区域。有研究还观察到经络走向与结缔组织网络高度重叠。
现代研究发现了什么？
针灸的科学研究近年进展迅速。据《PNAS》2025 年的一篇科学综述报道：一项 2021 年的研究识别出一类特定的感觉神经元，是针灸产生抗炎反应所必需的；研究也在探索电针如何调节炎症与应激反应。该综述并提到，有研究发现针灸对老年人下背痛的缓解优于常规护理，且在 12 个月时仍有持续益处。
《国家地理》的报道亦指出，研究者发现经典经络走向与结缔组织网络约有 80% 的重叠，且穴位处的神经纤维密度约为周围区域的 1.4 倍；一项急诊研究甚至报告，针灸缓解急性疼痛比静脉注射吗啡更快、副作用更少。
这些是研究发现，而非诊所承诺。针灸的效果因人、因病而异，学界也仍在完善统一的理论框架。
针灸可能有助于哪些方面？
在传统上，针灸被用于多种情况的调理，现代研究关注较多的包括：偏头痛与头痛、颈肩腰腿等肌肉骨骼疼痛，以及部分慢性疼痛。它常作为综合调理的一部分，而非单一「特效」手段。
在运动人群中，针灸也常用于运动损伤后的调理，以及高强度训练后的肌肉紧张与疲劳恢复。
针灸痛吗？会有什么感觉？
大多数人在针灸时几乎没有明显疼痛。扎针时可能有短暂的轻微刺感，随后出现酸、麻、胀、重的感觉。中医称之为「得气」，通常被视为正常的治疗反应，许多患者也会觉得放松。
注意事项
- 孕期、有出血倾向或正在服用抗凝药物者，接受针灸前请务必告知医师。
- 若疼痛剧烈、持续加重，或伴随发热、不明原因体重下降、肢体麻木无力等，应先就医评估。
- 请选择注册中医师，并使用一次性无菌针具。
在韩医馆的针灸
聂医师是新加坡注册中医师，会先通过望闻问切了解您的体质与情况，再制定个性化的调理方案。在韩医馆，不少较年轻的患者本身是运动员，其中不乏国家队选手；针对他们，针灸传统上用于从急性损伤、康复训练到重返赛场的各个阶段，帮助缓解疼痛、放松肌肉、支持身体恢复。韩医馆提供针灸、拔罐与中药等传统疗法，帮助您以温和、循证的方式照顾健康。
English Version
What exactly is acupuncture?
In short: acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy in which a physician inserts very fine needles into specific points (“acupoints”) on the body to regulate qi and blood and free the flow in the channels. It has been practised for over two thousand years and is now widely used for wellness around the world.
The needles used in modern acupuncture are far thinner than those for injections or blood draws, so the process is usually gentle and almost painless.
Key Points
- Acupuncture stimulates specific acupoints and is traditionally used to regulate qi and blood and free the channels.
- Modern research is gradually uncovering its mechanisms through the nervous system, immune signalling, and connective tissue.
- It is traditionally used to ease many kinds of pain and discomfort, though results vary between individuals.
- Whether it suits you should be assessed by a registered TCM physician.
How does acupuncture work? TCM and modern science
TCM Theory
In TCM theory, qi and blood flow through the body along “channels” (meridians), and acupoints are specific points along them. When that flow is obstructed, “where there is no free flow, there is pain.” Stimulating acupoints is traditionally used to free the channels and harmonise qi and blood, and to support the body’s return to balance.
Modern Science Perspective
Modern research proposes several possible mechanisms. Inserting a needle triggers a local response called “mechanotransduction,” which prompts mast cells in the skin to release substances such as histamine, serotonin, and adenosine. Those signals activate nearby nerve endings, which carry messages to the brain’s pain-processing regions. Researchers have also observed a notable overlap between channel pathways and connective-tissue networks.
What has modern research found?
The science of acupuncture has advanced quickly in recent years. According to a 2025 science feature in PNAS: a 2021 study identified a specific subset of sensory neurons required for acupuncture to trigger an anti-inflammatory response, and research is exploring how electroacupuncture may regulate inflammation and stress responses. The feature also notes a study in which acupuncture eased lower-back pain in older adults more effectively than usual care, with benefits still present at 12 months.
Reporting in National Geographic adds that researchers have found roughly an 80% overlap between classical channel pathways and connective-tissue networks, with acupoints containing around 1.4 times more nerve fibres than the surrounding areas. One emergency-department trial reported that acupuncture relieved acute pain more quickly than intravenous morphine, with fewer side effects.
These are research findings, not clinic promises. How well acupuncture works varies from person to person and condition to condition, and scientists are still piecing together a full explanation of how it works.
What may acupuncture help with?
Traditionally, acupuncture has been used to support many conditions. Among those most studied by modern research are migraines and headaches, musculoskeletal pain in the neck, shoulders, back and limbs, and some forms of chronic pain. It is often used as part of an integrated approach rather than a stand-alone fix.
Among active people, it is also commonly used after sports injuries and for the muscle tightness and fatigue that follow hard training.
Does acupuncture hurt? What does it feel like?
Most people feel little to no pain during acupuncture. You may notice a brief, mild prick as the needle goes in, followed by a dull, tingling, heavy, or warm feeling. TCM calls this deqi (“obtaining qi”), and it is usually taken as a normal, expected response to treatment. Many patients find the whole thing quite relaxing.
Important Notes
- If you are pregnant, have a bleeding tendency, or take blood-thinning medication, tell your physician before treatment.
- If pain is severe, keeps worsening, or comes with fever, unexplained weight loss, or numbness or weakness in a limb, seek medical assessment first.
- Always choose a registered TCM physician and single-use, sterile needles.
Acupuncture at HanYiGuan
Physician Nie is a Singapore-registered TCM physician who begins by understanding your constitution and situation through the traditional four examinations, then tailors a personalised plan. Many of our younger patients are athletes, and some represent Singapore at national level; for them, acupuncture is traditionally used across the stages of recovery and rehabilitation, from an acute injury through training and back to competition, to help ease pain, relax muscles, and support the body’s recovery. HanYiGuan offers acupuncture, cupping, and Chinese herbal medicine to help you care for your health in a gentle, evidence-informed way.
Sources
- Rozen M. “What’s the science behind acupuncture?” PNAS News Feature (2025).
- National Geographic. “The evidence for acupuncture in pain management.”