Acupuncture is an ancient form of medical treatment designed in China. The skilled healthcare workers who supply this kind of treatment are called acupuncturists. Research has shown that acupuncture is successful in easing some types of pain, including the pain of arthritis. The National Institutes of Health concluded that acupuncture is a helpful addition to the treatment of osteoarthritis in 1997.

The word ?acupuncture? is European, the idea having been transported to Europe from Nagasaki by Willem ten Rhyne in 1683, but the treatment has most likely been used in China since around 1600 BC. During the Ching Dynasty (AD 1644-1911) acupuncture fell out of favor in China but has been more commonly used there since the Communist revolution and it is certainly very popular now in the West.

Acupuncture texts list over one hundred conditions that respond well to the therapy. Working in close accord with the International Acupuncture Training Center of the Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the World Health Organization in 2002 specified that acupuncture is useful in treating the following conditions: severe and persistent pain relief, migraine, tension cluster and sinus headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, bladder dysfunction, bed wetting, neck pain, upper and mid-back pain, lower back pain sciatica, osteoarthritis, sprains and strains, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, post-operative pain relief, gastric problems, asthma, allergies, skin conditions, hemorrhoids, abnormal blood pressure, fatigue, anxiety, neurological syndrome, various eye problems etc. Given the back benefits, many chiropractors now offer Chiropractic Acupuncture in addition to traditional chiropractic methods.

In November 1999 scientists from the Research Center for Complementary Medicine at Technische Universitat in Munich assessed the usefulness of acupuncture in treating headaches by methodically reviewing 22 randomized controlled trials. Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that acupuncture ?has a role in the treatment of recurrent headaches.?

A number of studies have pointed out that acupuncture might improve patients who have had a stroke. Johannson et al of Lund University Hospital in Sweden found major improvement in a group of stroke patients who received acupuncture during the acute phase, compared with an untreated group, regarding evaluations of walking, balance, activities of daily living, quality of life, mobility, and emotional state.

Practitioners of acupuncture and other forms of Chinese traditional medicine believe that attending to the cause of illness, treating the whole person, and focusing on balance of the immune system leads to significant benefits in long-term health management. For many, this can mean the end of struggles with different types of medication and their side effects.