Probing Acupuncture

Using needles to rid a person of backaches, headaches, indigestion and a host of other disorders may seem counterintuitive.

Acupuncture aficionados, however, will be the first to point out that these tiny needles can bring big relief.

I first tried acupuncture a decade ago to help with a chronic health condition that conventional Western medicine could not resolve. After a few months of treatments, not only was I healed but I also felt less stressed overall.

Additionally, I slept better, and got colds less often.

Acupuncture is based on a traditional Chinese model of health and illness, first outlined over 2,000 years ago in the ancient text The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine.

Can You Feel It

According to this system, illness and disease are caused by imbalances in a person's qi or chi (pronounced "chee").

Qi is usually described as one's life force or vital energy. It flows through the body by a series of channels called meridians. Visit an acupuncturist and you're likely to see a poster on the wall that maps out these meridians (and their corresponding acupuncture points). ...