About Acupuncture Acupuncture is one of the key components of the system of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In the TCM system of medicine, the body is seen as a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang. Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle. Among the major assumptions in TCM are that health is achieved by maintaining the body in a "balanced state" and that disease is due to an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of Qi (vital energy) along pathways known as meridians. Energy circulates throughout the body along well-defined meridian pathways and if the energy circulation is disrupted, optimum function is affected and this results in pain or illness. Points on the skin along these meridians are energetically connected to specific organs, body structures, and systems. These Acupuncture points are stimulated to balance the circulation of energy, which influences the health of the entire being. Many of the meridian pathways correlate to the nervous system as we know it today. It is believed that there are 12 main meridians and 8 secondary meridians and that there are more than 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body that connect with them. Preclinical studies have documented acupuncture's effects, but they have not been able to fully explain how acupuncture works within the framework of the Western system of medicine that is commonly practiced in the United States. It is proposed that acupuncture produces its effects through regulating the nervous system, thus aiding the activity of pain-killing biochemicals such as endorphins and immune system cells at specific sites in the body. In addition, studies have shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones, thus affecting the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary body functions, such as immune reactions and processes that regulate a person's blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature. Recent scientific research has found that human beings are complex bioelectric systems. As modern science and clinical research allows us to gain an understanding of how acupuncture affects the nervous system, its acceptance into the western world of medicine is increasing. The mystical aspect and fear of the unknown is no longer the concern; instead the focus is on how to better understand the processes. This understanding has been the foundation behind acupuncture practice for several thousand years.

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