What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a form of medicine that has been practiced for more than 2500 years. Part science and part art, acupuncture un-does sickness by directing the body's natural energies away from patterns of pain and disease, toward their original states of good health.

In the Chinese tradition that gave birth to acupuncture, the human body is viewed as a part of the natural world; it follows patterns that are as regular as the cycles of the seasons and the rhythms of night and day. The body's vital energy, called qi (pronounced "chee"), flows through these cycles and seasons maintaining good health, abundant energy, and buoyant moods. When the flow of body energy is disrupted, pain, illness, or emotional disturbances can arise.

Acupuncturists work with bodily qi to keep it flowing smoothly, thereby creating and supporting good health. Using a variety of techniques including needles, magnets, moxibustion, and herbal medicine, acupuncturists influence the movement and quality of qi to relieve pain, treat disease, and alter physical conditions. Rather than masking pain or other symptoms, acupuncture works by changing them.

To understand and manipulate the flow of qi in the human body, acupuncturists use detailed maps of body energy which chart the lines of qi (called meridians or channels) and the individual points on them through which qi can be accessed.

Needles used in acupuncture are made of stainless steel. They are extremely thin (not much thicker than a human hair), and are sterile and disposed of after each use. During treatment, needles are inserted shallowly just under the skin at points on the body where qi is stuck or diminished.

Through a complex series of interactions, the body learns to regulate its energy flow in response to the needles. Over time, the body conforms its energy flows to healthier, more stable patterns. As a result, areas of pain hurt less intensely and less frequently, symptoms grow less severe, stress and fatigue begin to abate, and so on.

A standard acupuncture treatment may use as few as two needles or as many as forty, depending on the condition being treated, the constitution of the patient, and the judgment of the acupuncturist.