Acupuncture is an ancient form of Chinese medicine involving the insertion of solid filiform acupuncture needles into the skin at specific points on the body to achieve a therapeutic effect.No drug is injected.The needles alone create the beneficial effects of acupuncture.
Acupuncture is used to encourage natural healing,improve mood and energy,reduce or relieve pain and improve function of affected areas of the body.It is safe and effective and is often successfully used as an alternative to medications or even surgery.Relief is often obtained with acupuncture when traditional medical therapy has failed.
Acupuncture originated in China at least 2500 years ago and spread to neighbouring Asian countries including Japan,Vietnam,and Korea by about 500 CE,and finally to Europe in the 16th century.And then it began to spread rapidly in Western Europe,the United States and Canada during the second half of the twentieth century.In those countries ,people use Acupuncture treating asthma,migraines,rheumatism and various forms of paralysis.
Acupuncture needles are solid,usually stainless steel (they may also be gold or silver),and measure from 13-70 mm.The needles are very fine,flexible and rounded but sharp at the tip.They are ‘atraumatic’,meaning that they do not have a cutting edge like a hypodermic needle,which slices through tissue.Their design allows acupuncture needles to slide smoothly through tissues and makes them unlikely to cause bleeding or damage to underlying structures.
Acupuncture points (also referred to as ‘acupoints’) are places on the skin that have a lower resistance to the passage of electricity than the surrounding skin and are part of a network of points that were mapped centuries ago by the Chinese.