The Chinese medical art to insert small fine needles into the skin in order to relieve pain and improve function was practiced in USA for over 170 years. After president's Nixon visit to China in 1972 the field of acupuncture received a widespread recognition. Today we have a better understanding of the mechanisms of pain relief after the insertion of the needles into the superficial layers of the skin : the nervous system is releasing endorphins and enkephalins which are naturally occurring analgesic substances.

The ancient concept of meridians through which the energy flows, was also validated by modern scientific research. The meridians described in the old Chinese literature function as channels located between various muscle groups. The simple insertion of the needles into various points belonging to these meridians will equilibrate the flow of energy, thus restoring the function of the "ailing" organs. It was also shown that acupuncture promotes vasodilation and increases the blood flow locally. Moreover the acupuncture will affect various hormones linked to the immune system. The acupuncture needles can be stimulated by an external electrical current or by moxibution, a burning herb applied on the needles. The latter is actually the old traditional Chinese method.

Although acupuncture was shown to be most effective in the treatment of patients with musculoskeletal conditions, a variety of other painful syndromes can respond to these treatments : headache and craniofacial pain, osteoarthritis and cervical pain. Besides pain, acupuncture can be safely used for the treatment of allergies, post operative and post chemotherapy nausea, depression and tinnitus.
Clearly acupuncture works the best in conjunction with a variety of other modern physical, surgical and pharmacologic modalities for the treatment of chronic pain.

The treatments are initially scheduled one week apart, for 3 to 4 weeks. If any benefit is derived after this time an additional number of treatments can be implemented. The original visit takes about 40 to 60 minutes and each treatment lasts around 30 minutes.

All in all acupuncture is a safe therapy and very few side effects have been reported. The risk of infection is almost nil, since all the needles used are disposable. Most patients report a sense of well-being or relaxation after an acupuncture treatment, especially if electrical stimulation has been used.