ese explanation for how acupuncture treats different disorders often is not considered valid by the Western scientific community (Levin, 2003)." Some members of the medical community have difficulty accepting acupuncture due to problems in "achieving double-blind trials. They feel acupuncture acts on pain probably through a combination of counterirritation and misdirection of pain, consensual expectation, and classical conditioning and reinforcement, and the needles themselves are not necessary for pain relief (Boozang, 1998)." However, when physicians
             were asked about their attitudes concerning alternative therapies "more than 50 percent considered acupuncture, massage therapy, and hypnotherapy as legitimate medical practices (Boozang, 1998)."
             There have been a number of studies conducted to explain how acupuncture can have a biological effect on the body. Some researchers have tried to "determine what physiological changes occur in the body when acupuncture is applied, and how these changes may cause the restoration of function (Levin, 2003)." A panel was held "in 1998 by the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development to evaluate the published acupuncture literature. They concluded sufficient evidence exists that acupuncture helps treat
             pain. Furthermore, they found some evidence to support the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, and cerebral vascular accidents (Levin, 2003)."
             In May of 2000, the "Center for Integrative Health, Medicine and Research awarded Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine a $40,000 grant for a pilot study to determine the effects of acupuncture on the rehabilitation of stroke patients. The study, which was the first of its kind to take place in the United States, represented a major step forward in combining Eastern and Western forms of care to treat strokes, and was conducted in collaboration with the University of Southern California School...