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Acupuncture is an approach to medicine and healing that has been practiced in China for more than 2,500 years. The earliest known text on acupuncture is the Classic of Internal Medicine, or Nei Ching, of about 2600 B.C.E., traditionally ascribed to the legendary Yellow Emperor, Huang Ti. There is a strong tradition of acupuncture in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and France.

Acupuncture is based upon the theory of energy (qi) flow through the body. Qi is a dynamic force in constant flux; it is depleted through daily living, and is augmented and transformed by energy obtained from food and air. Qi moves along a system of pathways, called meridians, in the body. Meticulous visual observation allowed the ancient practitioners to establish the existence of meridians and their relationship to various physiological functions. These pathways are connected in various ways, and each pathway is associated with a particular internal organ. As long as these pathways are open, allowing for a smooth, uninterrupted flow of energy, we are able to maintain a state of health and balance. Pain, discomfort, and disharmony arise when this flow is blocked, weakened, deficient, or excessive. By stimulating certain points on the meridians, acupuncture needles regulate and balance energy flow, restore normal functions, relieve pain, and speed recovery from illness or injury.

Oriental medicine ascribes to each organ not only specific physiological functions, but also an emotion or state of consciousness. This perspective weaves our mental health directly into our physical experience. An emotional imbalance will eventually present as an imbalance in the organ system; conversely, an organ system imbalance will express itself through mental or emotional states.

For more in-depth information, please see Ted Kaptchuk’s The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine.