Salads Acupuncture Acupuncture has been used to treat a variety of illnesses for more than 2,000 years. As such, a diagnosis based on TCM is generally made prior to the administration of acupuncture needles. Once an assessment is made, a series of acupuncture points is selected to improve the balance of yin and yang, to harmonize a deficient or excess condition, and to nourish the organ or channel involved in the disease process. The theory of the channels is fundamental to the understanding of acupuncture. There are 365 mapped acupuncture points along the 12 major channels, as well as over a thousand extra points found on the hand, ear, and scalp.
Acupuncture is the insertion of needles into specific acupoints found on the body meridians.
Manipulation of the needle following insertion can assist with moving the qi, and can help to nourish or sedate the channel. Certain acupuncture techniques, such as the insertion of the needle at various times during inhalation or exhalation, are thought to affect the outcome of treatment. Electroacupuncture utilizes an external source of electricity attached to the acupuncture needles to create a current across two or more acupoints. Electroacupuncture is frequently used in scientific research. Although acupuncture has received much attention by the media, herbs used in a TCM treatment are of equal or greater importance to the overall treatment.