We all know that heat relaxes muscles, but do you know the mechanism? I doubt it since the actual mechanism has only recently been discovered. It has to do with structured water, again, something you probably know nothing about. Basically, the three components of the sarcomere lengthens and shortens by phase transitions of water from bulk water to structured water and back again. All three lengthen because of the phase transition from bulk water to structured water. Heat (infrared radiation) provides the energy for the phase transition. So applying heat to muscle tissue encourages the phase transition that will lengthen the sarcomere thus relaxing the muscle. Sticking an acupuncture needle in a muscle will also help relax it because the needle surface is hydrophilic and will also encourage the transition to structured water. Putting the needle in the belly of the muscle will spread the transition outward to the whole muscle. I have long known that inserting a needle in the belly of the muscle will help relax it. Now I understand the mechanism. And this is not the only way structured water plays a role in the functioning of acupuncture! So here is another subject area that needs to be understood in order to understood if you want to understand how acupuncture works. And it is not covered in the schools curriculum Then again, none of how acupuncture works scientifically is covered in their curriculum. That needs to change. That is why I wrote my books. My second book “Scientific Acupuncture” explains exactly how all the techniques I use as an acupuncturist work scientifically. So the schools have no excuse not to incorporate that information in their curriculum. I have taken the mystery out of acupuncture.I t is not “whowho”. There is real science behind it, as I explain in my books. Scientific Acupuncture is the future of acupuncture BECAUSE it is based on real science. It is not that hard to understand and makes perfect sense.