Fascinating article in The Scientist that suggests that acupuncture needles stimulate the body’s connective tissues. The fibroblast activity which plays a role in healing acute injury may be one reason acupuncture is effective therapy for trauma. While needling patients, the acupuncturist waits for a slight “tug” or bite, like a fish under the skin, as a means of finding the qi. So what is this tug – it appears to be the fibers wrapping around the needle. Because connective tissue surrounds virtually every anatomical structure in the body, it is interesting to note that the acupuncture stimulation can have far-reaching effects in how retaining needles leads to sustained stretching of these fibers.