The Chinese have used the combination of acupuncture, massage, moxibustion, exercise, diet and herbs to promote the body's healing processes for more than 3,500 years. TCM focuses on the symptoms of the ailment and treats the causes to restore balance in the body.

Disease and body imbalance can result from Qi (chee) deficiency. Qi is the energy that flows in the meridians (pathways), which are related to the internal organs and their physiological systems. These pathways communicate with specific points of the body called acupuncture points.

Hollow, hair-thin needles are used to perform acupuncture. It is virtually pain-free, except for an occasional prickling sensation at the tip.

According to the National Institutes of Health, researchers are studying three possible explanations for how acupuncture works: during acupuncture, endorphins, the body's natural pain-control system, are released; acupuncture stimulates the nerves in the spinal cord; and acupuncture needles may increase the amount of blood flow, supplying additional nutrients and/or removing toxic substances to promote healing.

Tate first experienced its success in the 1990s. After three years of various conventional medical treatments for chronic whiplash pain, Tate tried acupuncture.

"I began acupuncture treatments skeptically, but after the third treatment, I became convinced of how well it was working," she said.

Following ten treatments, one-to-two times a week, Tate regained full function of her arm and her pain was greatly reduced.

"I found faster relief from much more, digestive complaints, urinary tract discomfort, sinusitus, colds, flu... the list continued to grow," she said.