Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a lot more than needles, and it offers a lot more than pain relief. A complete medical system that stretches back at least 3,000 years, acupuncture is a technique of medical treatment based on traditional Chinese medicine. Disciples of the method and the use of related treatments moved to other Asian countries around A.D. 1000. In China today, many hospitals have two wings: One devoted to acupuncture, the other devoted to Western, or allopathic, medicine.

Although it is used to treat illness, reduce pain and manage chronic conditions, a cornerstone belief of acupuncture is the promotion of good health through preventive measures. In brief, acupuncture uses very fine needles, pressure, heat and exercise to restore or redirect energy in the body that is believed to directly and indirectly affect health.

Three kinds of energy-yin, yang and qiare central to the core doctrine, as is the belief that 12 main meridians run through the body and carry an energy force that affects the workings of internal organs and tissues. Altogether, acupuncturists use nearly 1,000 designated points in their treatment in an effort to bring the energy force back into balance. Depending on the severity of the condition in question, a treatment can include anywhere from 1 to 10 or 20 or more procedures. You can think of meridians as feedback loops of energy-a communication through the whole body, telling it what to do and what's going on. Sometimes things get stuck, and needles in the right spots can clear up the problem, whether it's too much energy or not enough. One theory is that acupuncture works by stimulating endorphins, those natural, morphine-like painkillers found in the brain.

Regardless of the patients' individual illnesses, acupuncturists never treat a symptom without relating it to weaknesses in other parts of the body. Acupuncture is truly a holistic form of medical treatment.

"Acupuncture Lite"

Not everyone will take to needle therapy right away, especially Westerners who are new to the idea of energy medicine and healing "flows" throughout the body. For this reason, acupuncturists in North America (and else­where) have learned how to use heat, magnetic waves, ultrasound, lasers and suction rather than needles to stimulate acupuncture points. Plus, even some acupuncturists say that needles are not always the best way to treat an ailment.

Even though these alternate methods have been dubbed by some as "acupuncture lite," they should not be taken lightly. They may turn out to be a particularly powerful way of helping acupuncture spread its message-and its powers-to millions of former skeptics in years to come.