Muscle relaxants have a lot of side effects such as drowsiness, dizzyness, confusion, light headedness and they are habit forming. I recently experienced a rehab patient with some mental side effects of muscle relaxants first hand and it was shocking.
In contrast, acupuncture creates an internal, natural response and relaxation. My patients often fall alseep and typically are very mellow and joke about acu-high after their treatment. They are experiencing the natural release of painkillers that usually accompanies acupunture treatments.
The way I see it is a simple choice, drugs manufactured in a factory running around your blood stream, or chemicals created by your body doing the same. We totally know the long term risks of the natural ones.