And then there are the thousand kinds of dried and preserved herbs, blossoms, roots, berries, and fruits. In addition to the prescription of medicines, acupuncture is another frequently used tool of treatment in Chinese medicine. Its history antedates written Chinese language, but acupuncture was not fully developed until after the Han dynasty. Its theoretical base is the adjustment of c'hi, or the flow of life energy. In 1980, the World Health Organization released a list of 43 types of pathologies which can be effectively treated with acupuncture.
Acupuncture is simple to administer, has few side effects, and has broad applications.
The increasing popularity of acupuncture outside of China has made it nearly synonymous for many Westerns with all traditional Chinese medicine. Not meant as a cure for everything, acupuncture has nonetheless enjoyed renewed interest in recent decades, and is especially effective in controlling pain. The flow of positive influences through the body is maintaining health. Unhealthy symptoms are, in fact, manifestations of improper qi. The Huang Dineijing describes 365 sensitive points used in acupuncture, in addition to 12 main conduits in the human body.