ACUPUNCTURE
- traditional
Chinese method of healing by inserting thin needles into certain areas beneath the
skin and rotating them. Its rationale is
that disease is a manifestation of
a disturbance of Yin and Yang energy
in the body, and that acupuncture brings this energy back into balance by what is described as 'the judicious
stimulation or depression of the flow of
energy in the various meridians'. What is still unclear to western doctors is why needling, which is the essence of acupuncture, should have
the effect it is claimed to have. One theory is that the technique
stimulates deep sensory nerves, promoting the production of pain-relieving endorphins. Of its efficacy in skilled Chinese hands, however, there can be no question, and in