Dr. Maura Scanlan, N.D., L.Ac.
body through meridians. Meridians act as highways to carry the energy
through out the body. Acupuncture needles are inserted into points along the meridians to stimulate
the Qi of the body. Each point has a predictable effect on the Qi that is moving through it. The
points chosen by the practitioner are based on symptom picture as well as pulse and tongue diagnosis.
Acupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating fine filiform needles into specific points on the body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes. The word acupuncture comes from the Latin acus, "needle", and pungere, "to prick". In Standard Mandarin, ?? (zhen bian) (a related word, ?? (zhen jiu), refers to acupuncture together with moxibustion).
According to traditional Chinese medical theory, acupuncture points are situated on meridians along which qi, the vital energy, flows. There is no known anatomical or histological basis for the existence of acupuncture points or meridians. Modern acupuncture texts present them as ideas that are useful in clinical practice. According to the NIH consensus statement on acupuncture, these traditional Chinese medical concepts "are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in acupuncture."