Acupuncture has a well documented history spanning more than 2,000 years, and is still one of the most commonly used medical procedures in the world today. Acupuncture has been promoted by the World Health Organization to treat many illnesses and disorders. The National Institute of Health (NIH) Consensus Conference on Acupuncture in 1997 stated, "The data in support of acupuncture are as strong as those for many accepted Western medical therapies. One of the advantages of acupuncture is that the incidence of adverse effects is substantially lower than that of many drugs and other accepted medical procedures used for the same conditions."

To treat a patient, the acupuncturist uses hair-thin needles to stimulate special points on the body. The acupuncture points are chosen based on the appropriate traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and meridian theory. There are 12 regular meridians and 8 extra meridians running through the whole body, all of which are connected by many minor connecting meridians to form a web of continuous channels enabling Qi (vital energy) and blood to circulate. According to traditional Chinese medical theory, illness and pain arise when there is

• - An external pathogen invading the body
• - An imbalance of Yin, Yang, Qi and blood, or
• - Blockage of Qi and/or blood circulation

Acupuncture stimulation of certain points can eradicate pathogens, balance Yin, Yang, Qi, and blood, or open up the blockage in a channel, treating both the symptoms and the root of the disease.