Acupuncture is one of the medical therapies of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
It involves the insertion of very fine needles (less than 0.30mm, stainless steel, sterile and single use) into certain locations in the body (acupuncture points).
Acupuncture has been used widely in China for thousands of years and if you have to visit a hospital or a health centre there, you will find acupuncture and other TCM therapies available and practiced successfully in conjunction with Western medicine in a safe and professional environment.
In simple terms, we can say that acupuncture is based on the concept that living beings have “vital energy” that the Chinese call “Qì” (氣 – pronounced “chee” and sometimes spelt as “chi”).
Qì circulates throughout the whole body in “invisible channels” known in TCM as “Jīng Luò” (經 絡 – acupuncture channels, also called “meridians”). An imbalance in the flow of Qì throughout a Jīng Luò is how disease begins.
The acupuncture needles are inserted in specific points along the Jīng Luò in order to restore the natural flow of Qì and thus restoring the internal balance, helping the person to return to full health.