Acupuncture

No one really knows for sure how acupuncture works, but many theories abound.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory

Traditional Chinese Medicine follows the premise of "Vital Energy" or "Qi", which travels within the body via a system of channels or meridians.

Qi and Pain

Pain arises when this "Qi" stagnates or becomes obstructed. It is the placement of acupuncture needles at precise locations along the body's meridians which serves to redirect or stimulate the flow of "Qi".

Various needling techniques are used, varying from "dry needling" (needles only), to electroacupuncture (the application of a mild current to acupuncture points), to moxibustion (application of heat to acupuncture points).

Western Medicine Theory

In an attempt to understand acupuncture from a Western medical perspective, many studies have been performed, trying to relate the location of acupuncture meridians to anatomic entities that the Western scientific community can understand.

All Systems Involved

No one system, be it blood vessels, lymphatics or any other for that matter, can fully incorporate all the meridian systems. Rather, acupuncture points are more of a mixture of all of these anatomic entities.