Does Acupuncture actually work? What does it do?

I suffer lots of migraines and a friend said acupuncture can help. is this true?

The purpose of acupuncture in TCM is the rebalancing of opposing energy forces in different parts of the body. In Western terms, acupuncture is used most commonly as an adjunctive treatment for the relief of chronic or acute pain. In the United States, acupuncture is most widely used to treat pain associated with musculoskeletal disorders, but it has also been used in the treatment of headaches, other painful disorders, and nausea and vomiting. In addition to these disorders, acupuncture has been used to treat a variety of disorders such as asthma, infertility, depression, anxiety, HIV infection, and fibromyalgia, although its efficacy in relieving these disorders is largely unproven. Acupuncture should not be used to treat traumatic injuries and other emergency conditions requiring immediate surgery. Also, while it appears to have benefits in relieving symptoms such as pain under the proper circumstances, it has not been shown to alter the underlying course of a disease. The exact mechanism by which acupuncture works is not known. Studies have demonstrated a variety of physiologic effects such as release in the brain of various chemicals and hormones, alteration of immune function, blood pressure, and body temperature. Source(s): GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

No, I've never personally encountered anyone who said it helped them.

This is what it is:
Acupuncture is also thought to decrease pain by increasing the release of chemicals that block pain, called endorphins. Many acu-points are near nerves. When stimulated, these nerves cause a dull ache or feeling of fullness in the muscle. The stimulated muscle sends a message to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), causing the release of endorphins (morphine-like chemicals produced in our own bodies during times of pain or stress). Endorphins, along with other neurotransmitters (body chemicals that modify nerve impulses), block the message of pain from being delivered up to the brain.
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/78/...
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/109...
http://healing.about.com/od/acupuncture/...
http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/treatmen...
http://healing.about.com/od/acupuncture/...
YES IT WORKS AND IT RELEASES STRESS FROM CERTAIN PRESSURE POINTS ON YOUR BODY. AND IT MAY HELP YOU
Acupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating needles into "acupuncture points" on the body. According to acupunctural teachings this will restore health and well-being. Whether acupuncture is efficacious or a placebo is subject to scientific research. There is no scientific consensus over whether or not evidence supports efficacy. It can be used to treat migraine.
This is quite correct. You can feel the miracle yourself. You must have noticed that sometimes getting some accidental punch in any part of a body, you get some sensation on some other part of the body. That is the theory, which works in accupuncture. Your inner body parts have nerve connections to some other outer body parts. the pinch on the relative outer parts get the effect on the inner body parts to make them active to work properly.