Acupuncture is an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine used in the prevention and treatment of disease. Developed and refined over 2500 years in China, it has been steadily gaining acceptance in the West because it is a non-pharmaceutical treatment with simple application, a wide range of use, good curative effect, and low cost. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a government agency, 8.2 million Americans have used it so far.

Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine, sterile needles at specific acupuncture points on the body. This activates the body’s Qi (pronounced “Chi”), or Life Energy, to flow freely through specific pathways called Meridians. Meridians are the channels or pathways that carry Qi and Blood (or the fundamental binary forces of Yin and Yang) through the body. The system of Meridians is not a circulatory system or a nervous system. Rather it comprises an invisible lattice-like informational network that links together and unites all parts of the body. To put it simply, the Meridians connect the interior of the body with the exterior. This is the basis of acupuncture theory: working with points on the surface of the body will affect what goes on inside the body because it affects the activities of Qi and Blood that are traveling through the Meridians. In fact, Western research has found evidence that acupuncture points are strategic conductors of electromagnetic signals. Stimulating the acupuncture points along these pathways triggers direct, measurable effects on the body--including the release of pain-killing biochemicals such as endorphins--and perhaps activation of precisely the regions of the brain that would be predicted by ancient Meridian theory.

When the flow of Qi and Blood is obstructed anywhere in the body, it can result in pain, compromise immunity, and inhibit the physical, mental, and emotional stability necessary for optimal health. Acupuncture works to remove this blockage by dispersing the stagnant Qi and Blood, restoring harmonious flow along the Meridian pathways. Its gentle, non-invasive approach to treating diseases promotes natural healing by enhancing the body’s innate recuperative power. The National Institute of Health (NIH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have recognized it as safe and effective in the treatment of a wide variety of medical problems.