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Definition: acupuncture from Philip's Encyclopedia

System of medical treatment in which needles are inserted into the body at particular points to assist healing or relieve pain. In ancient Chinese medicine, acupuncture is thought to restore the balance of yin and yang by freeing the flow of life-energy (chi). Little or no scientific evidence has been produced for acupuncture's effectiveness in treating disease, but there is limited evidence that it may be of use in the control of pain.

acupuncture

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(ăk'yʊpŭng´´chӘr), technique of traditional Chinese medicine, in which a number of very fine metal needles are inserted into the skin at specially designated points. For thousands of years acupuncture has been used, along with herbal medicine, for pain relief and treatment of various ailments. It has often been combined with moxabustion, the burning of leaves of moxa, the Chinese wormwood tree. Today it is widely used in China in the treatment of hay fever, headaches, and ulcers, and some types of blindness, arthritis, diarrhea, and hypertension. Acupuncture is also used, especially in China, as a general anesthetic during childbirth and some types of surgery. Unlike conventional anesthesia, acupuncture does not reduce blood pressure or depress breathing; in addition, the patient stays fully conscious and there is no postoperative hangover or nausea. Generally, in the practice of acupuncture, needles varying in length from 1/2 in. (1.27 cm) to several inches are inserted in appropriate…
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Full text Article acupuncture

From Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained
The insertion of needles into the skin at specific points in order to relieve pain or treat various conditions; originally Chinese, acupuncture is now used in many countries as a complementary therapy. Acupuncture, the name of which derives from the Latin acus , meaning needle, and pungere , to…
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Full text Article Acupuncture

From Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase and Fable
(Latin acus , 'needle', and English 'puncture'). Modern acupuncture developed from the technique for relieving pain developed in China some time before 2500   BC , which itself arose from the ancient dualistic theory of yin and yang. The belief is that disease is caused by an imbalance of these two…
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Full text Article Acupuncture

From Encyclopedia of Women's Health
Acupuncture is a medical treatment that has emerged from the naturalist school of thought in China over 2,000 years ago. It has been modified and perfected over the course of its existence and has been adapted by other cultures. Acupuncture is one part of a Chinese medical system based on the…
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Full text Article Acupuncture

From The Gale Encyclopedia of Senior Health
Acupuncture is one of the main forms of therapy in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been practiced for 2,500 to 3,000 years. An acupuncturist stimulates certain points on the body associated with energy channels or meridians by the insertion of fine needles. Unlike the hollow hypodermic…
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Full text Article acupuncture

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(ăk'yʊpŭng´´chӘr), technique of traditional Chinese medicine, in which a number of very fine metal needles are inserted into the skin at specially designated points. For thousands of years acupuncture has been used, along with herbal medicine, for pain relief and treatment of various ailments. It…
| 574 words
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Full text Article acupuncture

From Library of Health and Living: The Encyclopedia of Men's Health
Also known as: stylostixis The centuries-old therapy foundation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which practitioners insert fine needles into certain points on the body. From the perspective of Eastern medicine and TCM, acupuncture influences the flow of energy (called chi or qi) within the…
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Full text Article Acupuncture

From Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Therapist performing acupuncture. (Juri...
Acupuncture is a therapy in which thin, ultra-sharp needles are inserted into the body at precise points along energy channels known as meridians. It is a traditional therapy that originated in China more than 5,000 years ago and is still a common treatment in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The…
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Full text Article Acupuncture

From Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Acupuncture sites and meridians on the body....
Acupuncture is one of the main forms of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. It involves the use of sharp, thin needles that are inserted in the body at very specific points. This process is believed to adjust and alter the body's energy flow into healthier patterns, and is used to treat a…
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Full text Article Acupuncture

From Harvard Medical School Health Topics A-Z
What Is It? Acupuncture is a technique that involves inserting very thin metal needles into the skin at precise points on the body to clear energy channels, with the aim of restoring and maintaining health. The spots of insertion are picked based on a complex network of lines of energy, termed…
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Full text Article acupuncture

From Collins Dictionary of Medicine
A branch of Chinese medicine, now also used by some Western doctors, in which needles are inserted into the skin at certain points to produce ANAESTHESIA and, it is claimed, to treat disease by a process described as ‘unblocking’ of bodily meridians. These meridians, however, have no physical…
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