The mechanisms of action of acupuncture are not entirely clear. Although we have many pieces of this puzzle, it is still not complete neither entirely mounted. Another debilitating element is the absence of a convincing model of sham acupuncture for a control group in clinical trials. All this facts, allied to inappropriate prejudice and unfamiliarity, reinforce the false notion that acupuncture works mainly due to placebo effect. There is still the issue of the absence of a universal consensus about the degree in which acupuncture can be independent to the traditional chinese medicine
