[Puzzles and hypotheses of acupuncture]

Some results of clinical trials from the West on traditional acupuncture with modern research design have puzzled the acupuncture community. These include (1) what is the implication of acupuncture, (2) whether acupuncture point has its specificity, and 3) why practical experience in the East is quite different from research observations in the West. Three hypotheses, namely, Acupuncture Healing Effect, Pan-acupoint Phenomenon, and Hard Acupuncture and Soft Acupuncture, are proposed here to explain these sensitive issues. Further investigation with scientific approach may prove or reject these hypotheses. The resolving of these issues will shed light on the re-evaluation of traditional acupuncture and promote the maturation of modern acupuncture theory.