Brain zaps + needles: new combo tackles back pain

This study tested whether combining acupuncture with a gentle brain-stimulation technique (tDCS) can improve chronic low back pain more than either treatment alone. 116 adults with long-term back pain were split into four groups receiving different combinations of real or fake acupuncture and real or fake tDCS. Researchers used brain scans and pain ratings to see how the treatments affected brain connections and pain levels.