Acupuncture is one of the best known of the alternative therapies. The FDA estimates that people in the United States spend more than $500 million annually on acupuncture treatments. Many people have insurance coverage for acupuncture.

What is Acupuncture?

Originating in China more than 2,000 years ago, acupuncture is one of the oldest and most commonly used holistic medical procedures in the world. The word 'acupuncture' describes a variety of procedures involving stimulation of anatomical points on the body by using a variety of techniques. Most practices of acupuncture incorporate medical traditions from China, Japan , Korea, and other countries.

Acupuncture points are believed to be points that allow entry into channels. This is to redirect, increase or decrease the body's vital substance, Qi (pronounced Chee) and restore balance on an emotional, spiritual and physical level.

Many people would assume that inserting a needle into the skin would be painful. However, during the treatment, different sensations, such a warmth or pressure, may be felt but the energetic sensation differs from pain. Clients often comment that the feeling is unfamiliar, yet pleasant and relaxing.

What is the evidence?

Scientist and researchers in Europe, Asia and the Unites States are all asking that very question. Many are trying to solve the question of "how does Acupuncture work?". What they are finding is that acupuncture is very effective at treating a wide variety of conditions including chronic pain, migraine headaches, insomnia, allergies and depression. It is also useful for quitting smoking and detoxing from narcotics. They have found that acupuncture has a dramatic ability to stimulate the immune system. It also has affects the circulation, blood pressure, rhythm and stroke volume of the heart, secretion of the gastric acid and production of red and white cells. It stimulates the release of a variety of hormones that help body to respond to injury and stress.

Some sources of acupuncture research and efficacy studies are: 

Medline is a database maintained by the National Institute of Health, for current research abstracts.

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients
The Townsend Letter is a highly respected journal among the alternative medicine community, with articles for doctors and patients alike.

British Medical Journal
Complementary medicine resources from the British Medical journal. Full text, peer-reviewed articles available.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The Complementary and Alternative Medicine Citation Index from the Medline database, has over 175,000 abstracts from 1963 to the present, in printable form.

Alternative Medicine Review
Search current and past journal abstracts from the Alternative Medicine Review.

Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine
Professional peer-reviewed journal on alternative medicine.

Alternative Health News Online
Alternative Health News Online provides current news and research briefs on alternative and complementary medicine.

Annals of Internal Medicine
One of the most widely read medical specialty journals, Annals of Internal Medicine is published twice monthly by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine