Acupuncture is the medical procedure of inserting of very thin needles through your skin at strategically placed points on your body. It is one of the founding principals of treatment by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, in addition to herbs and TCM diagnosis. Acupuncture is most commonly used to treat pain. Increasingly, it is being used for overall wellness, including stress management, fertility and cosmetic procedures.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that acupuncture is a technique to be used to balance the flow of energy or life force — known as chi or qi (chee) — described as flowing through pathways (meridians) in your body. By inserting needles into specific points along these meridians, the results will be 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. Some believe that this stimulation boosts your body's natural painkillers to reduce inflammation and in turn result in relief.
