All cultures had their own versions of traditional medicine, but with the rise of western pharmaceuticals and surgery, many of these traditions are no longer practiced.  Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including acupuncture, has the oldest unbroken history of practice from ancient times to the present.  This long history of use is no accident.  The World Health Organization reports that acupuncture is effective in the treatment of the following conditions:      

• Low back pain

• Neck pain

• Sciatica

• Tennis elbow

• Knee pain

• Peri-arthritis of the shoulder

• Sprains

• Facial pain

• TMJ

• Headache

• Dental pain

• Acute and chronic gastritis

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Induction of labor

• Breech birth presentation

• Morning sickness

• Nausea and vomiting

• Postoperative pain

• Stroke

• Essential hypertension

• Primary hypotension

• Renal colic

• Leucopenia

• Radiation/chemo reactions

• Allergic rhinitis,

• Hay fever

• Biliary colic

• Depression

• Acute bacillary dysentery

• Primary dysmenorrhea

• Acute epigastralgia

• Peptic ulcer

     But how does it actually work?  There are numerous theories, but TCM theory states that where Qi stops, pain arises.  Qi is a Chinese concept of the body’s vital energy.  Qi is said to circulate through the body along channels called meridians.  So if you have pain in your knee for example, you can bet that the Qi is not flowing freely through that area.  The insertion of needles at strategic points along the meridians called gates, unblocks stagnated Qi and alleviates pain.