I have done quite a bit of reading about its usage for animals as I had an 18 yr. old cat showing signs of stiffness presumably from arthritis.
As previously mentioned, animals aren’t influenced by placebo effect since they don’t make connections between the treatments and pain relief.
The animal either has increased mobility or they don’t. I’d say that’s a pretty good indication that it’s not just a case of mind over matter.
The other factor is that there really isn’t a downside here the way that most medications produce undesirable side effects.
There are also significant numbers of MDs realizing its effectiveness and they are generally THE MOST skeptical of any type of alternative treatments.
My one experience was not with acupuncture in isolation but it did involve a Chinese MD who had been trained in acupuncture as well.
He was the one doing the epidural cortisone shot prescribed by the Orthopedist whom I was seeing for a severely strained back.
I was pretty apprehensive about getting an injection directly into the spine but this guy had a sterling reputation.
A week later I was pretty much back to normal and the procedure itself didn’t hurt. Obviously the guy knew what he was doing as he was a Western credentialed Anesthesiologist, but I think his acupuncture experience also helped.
I think the crucial aspect for you is finding an acupuncturist with a good reputation in the regular medical community.
If you ask for a recommendation from a pain medicine specialist or a Physiatrist, they would know which acupuncturists in your area have the best track record.
Since you are as skeptical as you’ve stated, I think it would be of utmost importance that you find someone in whom others have confidence.