Back pain and back-related leg pain respond surprisingly often to simple acupuncture even if there has been no benefit from standard, conventional treatment. Three case histories are discussed, with the acupuncture points used in each case. Often painful conditions are associated with psychological “stress” states. It may be that some of the benefit derived from acupuncture treatment is through altering the stress response and providing a psychological buffer, perhaps endorphin or serotonin related.
