How Does Acupuncture Work?

Modern Western medicine cannont yet explain how acupuncture works. Traditional Asian acupuncture is based on anciet Chinese theories of the flow of qi (a fine, essential substance which nourishes and constructs the body) through distinct channels that cover the body somewhat like nerves and blood vessels. According to this theory, acupuncture adjusts the flow of qi in the body, leading it to areas where it is insuffient and draining it from areas where it is stuck and/or superabundant. In this way acupuncture restores the harmonious balance of the body and its parts. In Chinese, there is a saying, "If there is pain, there is no free flow; if there is free flow, there is no pain." Acupuncture promotes and reestablishes the free flow of qi.