Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical procedure involving insertion and manipulation of needles at more than 360 points in the human body. Applied to relieve pain during surgery or in rheumatic conditions and to treat many other illnesses, acupuncture is used today in most hospitals in China.

This treatment, which is used in the restoration and maintenance of health and prevention of disease, has been practiced in China and the Orient for at least 5,000 years. Chinese medicine holds that any illness or symptom results from an imbalance in the person's energy. Acupuncture was developed in response to the theory that there are special "meridian points" in the body connected to the internal organs and that "vital energy" flows along the meridian lines. According to this theory, diseases are caused by interrupted energy flow; inserting and twirling needles restores the normal flow. Along with the usual method of puncturing the skin with the fine needles, the practitioners also use heat, pressure, friction or impulses of electromagnetic energy to stimulate the points.

In addition, the electrical theory claims that the body continually generates tiny but detectable electrical discharges. Acupuncture points are concentrated in regions of low electrical resistance. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the electromagnetic fields in the body and the channels or meridians. Therefore, this electrical theory of acupuncture suggests that acupuncture works by influencing the body's electromagnetic fields. Acupuncture points have certain electrical properties; stimulating these points alters chemical neurotransmitters in the body.

In the past 40 years acupuncture has become a well-known, reasonably available treatment in developed and developing countries.

According to the National Institutes of Health (USA) panel of scientists, researchers and practitioners who convened in November 1997, clinical studies have shown that acupuncture is an effective treatment for the following conditions and problems:

§         Nausea caused by surgical anesthesia and cancer chemotherapy

§         Dental pain experienced after surgery

§         Treatment of addictions

§         Headaches

§         Menstrual cramps

§         Tennis elbow

§         Fibromyalgia

§         Myofascial pain

§         Osteoarthritis

§         Low back pain

§         Carpal tunnel syndrome

§         Asthma

§         Stroke rehabilitation

In the United States, acupuncture is used frequently for the treatment of chronic pain conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, headache, athletic injuries, and posttraumatic and post surgical pain. It is also used to treat chronic pain associated with immune function dysfunction such as psoriasis (skin disorders), allergies and asthma. Acupuncture is also found to be effective for the treatment of mind-body disorders such as anxiety, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, hypertension, insomnia, PMS, menopausal symptoms, and depression. Some modern application of acupuncture is in the treatment of disorders such as alcoholism, addiction, smoking, and eating disorders.

Acupuncture is one of the most thoroughly researched and documented practices of alternative medical. A series of controlled studies has demonstrated its effectiveness in the treatment of a variety of conditions that includ osteoarthritis, chemotherapy-induced nausea, asthma, back pain, painful menstrual cycles, bladder instability and migraine headaches. Studies on acupuncture also have shown positive results in chronic pain management and in the management of drug addition, two areas where conventional Western medicine is very limited.