However, it wasn't until 1994 that the needles were fully FDA approved and classified. This was despite the fact that the prior year over 500 million dollars was spent on acupuncture treatment. Thus, as we approach the new millennium and 5,000 years after it's first use, acupuncture is being accepted by Western Medicine. The needles are sterile and disposable. There may be some discomfort when the needles are inserted, but it is only slight pain.
Treatments are safe because they are drug free and avoid the side effects drugs can cause.
Recently, it has been used in conjunction with traditional medical treatments for pain control and lessening the side effects of drugs. It is felt that aligning the main forms of Qi energy promotion of well-being is attained. The functional secretions of the body All five substances depend on each other to function properly for growth and development, defending the body against disease, warming the body, controlling the flow of blood and fluids, and metabolizing . The needles are placed along meridians, the pathways of the body through which energy flows. There are several theories of why acupuncture works, but none have been proven.