Acupuncture

Acupuncture (from Lat. acus, 'a needle', and pungere, 'to prick'), a form of surgical operation, performed by pricking the part affected with a needle. It has long been used by the Chinese in cases of headaches, lethargies, convulsions, colics, etc.

In China, acupuncture is known as zhen1 jiu3 (針灸). Zhen means needle (i.e. to prick), jiu means to cauterize by burning a herb called moxa (艾絨). Practitioners claim that the prick and burning complement each other in the treatment.

Traditional Chinese theory holds that acupuncture works by redirecting mystical qi energy in the body. There is no physical evidence for the existence of qi or for its claimed effects, so acupuncture is often considered a pseudoscience.

There is some evidence that acupuncture itself can be effective for treating pain, but some studies have found it to be no more effective than a placebo. Similar results have also been obtained with other forms of counter-irritation. Practitioners of acupuncture claim that the exact location of the pinprick is important, and that years of study are required in order to learn how to do it correctly. However, experiments have shown that the treatment is equally effective if the needles are inserted at other spots -- even at spots which acupuncturists claim are the least likely to be effective.

External links

Acupuncture, The Facts. - A critical article.
Open Directory: Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. - A collection of links, mostly to pro-acupuncture sites.