Acupuncture

Acupuncture

A practice of inserting hair-thin needles into specific body points to improve health and well-being, a traditional method originated in China more than 2,000 years ago as a component of Chinese medicine. It is based on theories about the body’s “vital energy” (chi), which is said to circulate through meridians along the surfaces of the body. The theory holds that illness and disease result from imbalances in vital energy that can be remedied when therapy is applied to certain points along the meridians. The goal of acupuncture is to rebalance the flow of energy, promote health and prevent future imbalances that lead to physical and mental ill health.
According to a survey conducted in 2002 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the practice had been used by 8.2 million American adults, and an estimated 2.1 million U.S. adults had used acupuncture in the previous year. The report from a Consensus Development Conference on Acupuncture held at the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) in 1997 stated that acupuncture is being “widely” practiced, by thousands of physicians, dentists, acupuncturists and other practitioners, for relief or prevention of pain and for various other health conditions.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved acupuncture needles for use by licensed practitioners in 1996. The FDA requires that sterile, nontoxic needles be used and that they be labeled for single use by qualified practitioners only. Acupuncture has been used in clinics to help with substance abuse disorders through detoxification, to relieve anxiety, to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in children, to reduce symptoms of depression and to help people with physical ailments such as backaches and osteoporosis.
An acupuncture practitioner who is licensed and credentialed is the best choice. About 40 states have established training standards for acupuncture certification, but states have varied requirements for obtaining a license to practice acupuncture. Proper credentials indicate that the practitioner has met certain standards to treat patients with  acupuncture techniques.