Acupuncture was first developed more than 4,000 years ago in China. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, recognizes acupuncture as an appropriate treatment for menstrual cramps, low back pain, headache, addiction, asthma, and other disorders.

The practice has remained the same: Trained practitioners, typically using hair-thin needles to penetrate the skin, stimulate specific pressure spots on the body associated with different disorders.

The needles may be manipulated by hand or, today by electrical impulse. (In the East, this is seen as a way to correct imbalances in the body’s flow of energy, the life force, called qi (pronounced chee)). 

When you come for treatment you will get to know the estimated number of treatments that will be required over what period of time, as well as what you can expect during and after the procedure. Some people report feeling energized by treatment while others feel relaxed. People report no pain or minimal pain.