What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a Chinese therapy that has been used for centuries. It is based on the theory that there is energy, called chi or qi, flowing through your body. Chi is thought to flow along energy pathways called meridians. Acupuncturists believe a blocking or imbalance of the flow of chi at any point on a pathway may result in illness. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe acupuncture unblocks and rebalances the flow of chi to restore health.

People often use acupuncture to relieve pain. Western medical researchers who have studied acupuncture believe that it may reduce pain through body chemicals that have calming effects (opioid peptides), or by affecting glands (such as the hypothalomus) that produce substances the body uses.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture usually is done by putting very thin needles into the skin at certain points on the body to produce energy flow along the body's meridians. Other types of acupuncture may use heat, pressure, or mild electrical current to stimulate energy flow along these meridians.

What is acupuncture used for?

People use acupuncture to relieve pain and treat certain health conditions. You can use it by itself or as part of a treatment program. Studies have found promising results for the use of acupuncture in treating nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy and postsurgery pain. Acupuncture also may be useful for:

• Stroke Rehabilitation, which involves relearning skills that a person lost because of brain damage from a stroke.
  
• Headache. A recent study shows that adding acupuncture to standard treatment leads to significant, long-lasting relief from chronic headaches, especially migraines.
  
• Menstrual cramps.
• Tennis Elbow.
• Fybromialgia or widespread pain and tenderness of muscle and soft tissue.
• Myofacial Pain, which is caused by spasm in the muscles.
• Osteoarthritis or the breakdown of the tissue (cartilage) that protects and cushions joints. A recent study found that acupuncture can reduce knee pain and increase movement of the knee in people with osteoarthritis.
• Low back pain.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or pressure on a nerve in the wrist that results in tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain of the fingers and hand.
• Asthma, or inflammation in the tubes that carry air to the lungs, resulting in periodic episodes of difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing.
• Dental pain.
• Reducing labor pain.

  WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

  Last Updated: July 07, 2005

  This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor.

  © 1995-2006, Healthwise, Incorporated, P.O. Box 1989, Boise, ID 83701. All Rights Reserved.