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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffAcupuncture involves the insertion of extremely thin needles in your skin at strategic points on your body. Acupuncture originated in China thousands of years ago, but over the past three decades its popularity has grown significantly within the United States.
Traditional Chinese theory explains acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy or life force — known as qi or chi (chee) — believed to flow through pathways (meridians) in your body. By inserting needles into specific points along these meridians, acupuncture practitioners believe that your energy flow will re-balance.
In contrast, many Western practitioners view the acupuncture points as places to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue. This stimulation appears to boost the activity of your body's natural painkillers and increase blood flow.
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- Acupuncture. North American Spine Society. http://www.spine.org/Documents/acupuncture.pdf. Accessed Sept. 23, 2009.
- Acupuncture: An introduction. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/introduction.htm. Accessed Sept. 18, 2009.
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- Questions and answers about acupuncture. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/acupuncture/Patient/page2. Accessed Sept. 24, 2009.
