Acupuncture (from Lat. acus, “needle” (noun), and pungere, “prick” (verb) or in Standard Mandarin, zh?n jiu (??), is one of the main branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine (others being herbal medicine and tui na). It is a therapeutic technique from that framework intended to restore health and well-being. The term acupuncture is often used by Westerners to refer to Chinese medicine generally. The technique involves the insertion of needles into “acupuncture points” on the body by trained practitioners. The needles most commonly used in present-day practice are made of stainless steel and are of approximately the same diameter as a medium thickness guitar string (from approximately .01″ to .02″). Although the clinical efficacy of this practice is debated, the traditional theory underlying its mechanisms has no basis in modern scientific conceptions of physiology and is therefore considered by its critics to be a pseudoscience. While many of its practitioners and proponents promote it in a modern, clinical manner, acupuncture and related practices predate modern concepts of science.

In China, the practice of acupuncture can perhaps be traced as far back as the 1st millennium BC, and archeological evidence has been identified with the period of the Han dynasty (from 202 BC to 220 AD). The practice spread centuries ago into many parts of Asia; in modern times it is a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and forms of it are also described in the literature of traditional Korean medicine where it is called chimsul. It is also important in Kampo, the traditional medicine system of Japan.

Recent examinations of Ötzi,[1][2] a 5000 year old mummy found in the Alps, have located over fifty tattoos on Ötzi’s body, some of which are located on acupuncture points that would today be used to treat ailments Ötzi suffered from. Some scientists believe that this is evidence that practices similar to acupuncture were practiced elsewhere in Eurasia during the early bronze age.

Medical law in the United States regarding acupuncture varies widely from state to state. Notably, states furthest to the west (Hawaii most particularly, California, etc.) have the most comprehensive and erudite laws and regulations regarding acupuncture. In many U.S. states — those furthest to the east — medical doctors (M.D.s) are permitted to practice acupuncture with no specific training in acupuncture. In some states, acupuncturists are required to work with an M.D. in a subservient relationship, even if the M.D. has no training in acupuncture. Contrastingly, Hawaii forbids M.D.s to practice acupuncture unless they have received specific training in it and have demonstrated related competency.

The consensus of Western-trained medical doctors and medical-research specialists on therapeutic efficacy is that:

• acupuncture is at least effective as a placebo in some situations;
• as of 2004, acupuncture is more effective than placebo acupuncture in relieving pain caused by osteoarthritis; and
• continued research on the possible value of acupuncture in various areas of medicine is worthwhile.

Historically, traditional Chinese medicine generally maintained that warming an acupuncture point, typically by moxibustion (the burning of mugwort), was a stronger treatment than acupuncture by itself. The Chinese term zh?n jiu (??), commoned used to refer to acupuncture, comes from zhen meaning “needle”, and jiu meaning “moxibustion”. Moxibustion is still used in the 21st century to varying degrees among the schools of traditional Chinese medicine. For example, one well known technique is to attach dried mugwort to the external end of an acupuncture needle, insert the needle at the desired acupuncture point, and then ignite the mugwort. The mugwort will then smolder for several minutes (depending on the amount adhered to the needle) and conduct heat through the needle to the tissue surrounding the needle in the patients body.

Most modern acupuncturists use disposable stainless steel needles of very fine diameter (approximately .015″), sterilized with ethylene oxide or by autoclave. The upper third of these needles is wound with a thicker wire (typically bronze) to stiffen the needle, provide a handle for the acupuncturist to grasp while inserting the needle, and also provide a surface to which dried mugwort will more easily adhere.

[source: wikipedia]

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