Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese therapy that has been used for centuries. Acupuncture has been practiced in China for at least five thousand years and in the 6th century A.D, it was introduced in Japan and other countries. At present there are forty countries practicing acupuncture. Modern medicine is only one hundred and fifty years old. The difference between Eastern (Traditional Chinese) and Western (Medical) acupuncture is Eastern is much more prevention and wellness oriented while Western (Medical) acupuncture treats more symptomatically.

Western allopathic medicine looks to relieve symptoms with drugs and medications, with the assumption that the underlying imbalances will self-correct. The drugs often work well (if the diagnosis is correct) suppressing the symptoms, often with other side effects. They do not however, correct the underlying abnormality, which caused the dysfunction or problems to occur in the first place. When the medication is withdrawn, the symptoms often return.

Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe acupuncture unblocks and balances the flow of chi to restore health. Western medicine practitioners who have studied acupuncture theorize that acupuncture reduces pain through biological mechanisms. Basically, if the Ch’i and/or blood stagnate in the channel(s), there will be pain. 

Imagine a river flowing unimpeded and suddenly a tree falls across the river, we see in our imagination the water no longer flowing freely, but getting blocked by the log, pushing into the banks of the river. The basic concept of acupuncture is to re-open the river, create a circulation so that the log lifts and normal flow is restored. 

Chinese medicine holds that any symptom or illness is an imbalance in a person’s energy. This energy is called Ch’i and travels in pathways known as channels (Meridians) from the surface of the body to very deep in the body. It is the imbalances in the energy, which produce the symptoms. Acupuncture balances the imbalance in the person's energy.

The Ch’i may become blocked by an external invasion of wind, cold, dampness, or heat may invade the region causing pain. If our defensive Ch’i or immune system is weak we become more susceptible to external invasions through the pores of our skin. The Ch’i and blood can stagnate due to trauma (lifting, repetitive strain over time, an accident or similar sprain). There may be an insufficiency of Ch’i or blood creating a sluggishness or stagnation of flow throughout the channel(s). This is an internal cause or weakness with a number of possible etiologies such as: poor diet, insufficient rest coupled with too much activity or overwork, overuse of drugs, chronic illness, heredity weakness, an excess of the emotions fear and anxiety, and general aging as our Ch’i is naturally declining.

Several processes have been proposed to explain acupuncture’s effects, primarily those on pain. Acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) to release chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals either change the experience of pain or release other chemicals, such as hormones, that influence the body's self-regulating systems. The biochemical changes may stimulate the body's natural healing abilities and promote physical and emotional well-being. According to a National Institutes of Health report on acupuncture in 1997, evidence suggests that acupuncture triggers the release of pain-relieving endorphins and also appears to improve immune function. 

Traditional Chinese medicine theorizes that the more than 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body connect with 12 main and 8 secondary pathways, called meridians. Chinese medicine practitioners believe these meridians conduct energy, or Ch’i, between the surface of the body and internal organs. There are 365 main acupuncture points spaced all over the body. There are also over 500 local, non-meridian and master points that are not as commonly used.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture usually is done by inserting needles into the skin at certain points on the body to stimulate energy flow along the body's energy pathways (meridians). The use of thin, pre-sterilized, disposable needles to re-establish the proper flow of Ch’i and blood through the channels of the body. This flow increases circulation allowing for oxygen, blood and lymph to support the bodies healing process. Research has shown acupuncture to cause the release of neuro-chemicals such as: endorphins, enkephalins, serotonin and corticosteroids all of which contribute to the reduction of pain and inflammation. 

Acupuncture doesn’t “hurt” most people experience a deep sense of relaxation, in part because of the endorphins that are released during acupuncture. The thin needles are inserted according to your individual diagnosis and are left in for approximately 15 minutes. Depending on whether your pain is acute or chronic guides the number of treatments you may need. Your pain may be resolved in a few treatments or it may take several courses, in some cases acupuncture serves primarily as pain management. In any case, your whole body benefits from the affects of acupuncture.

The National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference on Acupuncture recognized the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of several diseases and stated that, "One of the advantages of acupuncture is that the incidence of adverse effects is substantially lower than that of many drugs or other accepted medical procedures used for the same conditions."

A study in six clinics in five states showed efficacy and cost savings of acupuncture. Of the patients treated with acupuncture, 91.5% reported disappearance or improvement of symptoms; 84% said they see their MDs less; 79% said they use fewer prescription drugs and 70% of those to whom surgery had been recommended said they avoided it.