Updated 2007-4-28

TCM Advisory (TCM Advisory COM) -- What is Acupuncture? Everyone would like to know it, and people also would like to know what illnesses or diseases can be cured by Acupuncture.

Fortunately, these questions were also confused a person who came from Brazil. On April 27, 2007, he had a journey trip to Guilin and visited TCM Department of Guilin Sino-western Joint Hospital. During the trip, these questions were not questioned to him again.

By seeing those pictures and listened the explaining of Acupuncture practitioner, he gradually understood that Acupuncture, in China, literally means 'needle piercing," the practice of inserting very fine needles into the skin to stimulate specific anatomic points in the body (called acupoints or acupuncture points) for therapeutic purposes. Along with the usual method of puncturing the skin with the fine needles, the practitioners of acupuncture also use heat, pressure, friction, suction, or impulses of electromagnetic energy to stimulate the points. The acupoints (acupuncture points) are stimulated to balance the movement of energy (Qi) in the body to restore health.

Acupuncture practitioner also told him that although Acupuncture has been a major part of primary healthcare in China for the last 5,000 years, which is used extensively for a variety of medical purposes ranging from the prevention and treatment of disease, to relieving pain and anesthetizing patients for surgery. But nowadays, Acupuncture, in western country, is also used frequently not only for the treatment of chronic pain conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, headache, athletic injuries, and posttraumatic and post surgical pain, but also used for treating chronic pain associated with immune function dysfunction such as psoriasis (skin disorders), allergies, and asthma.

A recent study mentioned by Acupuncture practitioner found that Acupuncture is also an effective way for the treatment of mind-body disorders such as anxiety, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, hypertension, insomnia, PMS, menopausal symptoms, and depression. And some modern application of acupuncture is in the treatment of disorders such as alcoholism, addiction, smoking, and eating disorder.

At the end of finished visiting, he finally realized that the highest form of acupuncture, in traditional Chinese medicine, was given to enable you to live a long, healthy life.