Acupuncture PROVEN as pain reducer.
A recent study, using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has captured pictures of the brain while applying a pain stimulus to patients with and without using Acupuncture, to determine its effect on the brain. Dr. Theysohn stated that, "activation of brain areas involved in pain perception was significantly reduced or modulated under acupuncture.
Check out the article...its a quick read.
http://www.acupuncture.com/newsletters/m_jan11/acupuncturebrain.htm