Trigger point dry needling does work and there is scientific proof it works. It is not acupuncture but many trained accupuncturist can perform it. There is no placebo effect. That is getting it mixed up with acupuncture which there is almost no scientific proof that it works especially for ailments like colds,flus, cancer, hemorrhoids etc. trigger point dry needling acts by resetting the muscle via nerve endings attached to the muscle. Sometimes when a muscle is traumatized the brain signals get mixed up and so the brain tells the nerves the muscle is injured and so the muscles can get stuck causing cramps or other pains. Many professional athletes are now getting dry needles to aid in recovery from injury or as I use it for snowboarding and cycling to aid in recovery from lactic build up. It works. I had a severe leg injury that damaged my extensor digitorum longus muscle in leg which made my foot to be cramped causing chronic pain it was like a Charlie horse in my foot for several years. Even the strongest anti inflammatory would not help. Then one day I was at a new sports medicine doctor who is a doctor not some snake healer acupuncturist and he suggested dry needling he put 1 needle (looks like a acupuncture needle) in my extensor digitorum longus muscle and instantly my leg shuttered you could see my muscle ripple and it was like magic my foot instantly became unseized and the pain instantly went away as my muscle reset itself. I have since then used dry needling for many other recovery usages since I am a pro level athlete and I have found it to aid in recovery time and allow the lactic build up in my muscles to get released faster. I can do a heavy days work out and wake up the next morning with no pain. There is scientific studies that prove it works. Also many acupuncturist do practice trigger point dry needling but it should not be confused with the Chinese medicine of acupuncture which many of that is pure snake oil and has no scientific validity. Also many insurance companies acknowledge dry needling but NOT acupuncture as dry needling is based upon neuroscience not Chinese medicine. So anybody who says it has no efficacy has either read the wrong articles or have been mislead. Acupuncture for curing ailments like colds, flu, kidney or heart issues or cancer is purely snake oil.