Acupuncture is a medical treatment that emerged from the naturalist school of thought in China over 2,000 years ago. Its practice continues to be modified and adapted, in light of modern thought and medical knowledge. Acupuncture is one part of a complete Chinese medical system based on the production and flow of Qi (pronounced “chi”), which may be loosely described as vital energy. Qi circulates through channels called meridians as well as organs in an orderly fashion, and it is the disruption in the production and flow of Qi that results in disease and pain. As a system of medicine quite different than the Western system, acupuncture has its own distinctive language. In this system references to organs and their function and influence may be thought of as metaphorical when compared with the Western definitions of organ function.
Traditional acupuncture treatment consists of the insertion of thin sterile needles at specific locations along the meridians. The acupuncturist determines...
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Helms J (1995) Acupuncture energetics: a clinical approach for physicians. Medical Acupuncture Publishers, Berkeley, CA
Kaptchuk TJ (2000) The web that has no weaver: understanding Chinese medicine, 2nd ed. Contemporary Books, Chicago, IL
Suggested Resources
National Institutes of Health (1997) Acupuncture. NIH Consensus Statement (online), November 3–5, 15:1–34. http://consensus.nih.gov/1997/1997Acupuncture107html.htm
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Flagg, D. (2008). Acupuncture. In: Loue, S.J., Sajatovic, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Aging and Public Health. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-33754-8_10
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