Introduction :- In Latin , Acus means needle & pungus means to prick. Acupuncture means pricking of needles at certain fixed point of body for the cure of disease.
Acupuncture is a component of the health care system of China that can be traced back at least 2,500 years.
It is a family of anatomical locations on or in the skin by a variety of techniques. The most thoroughly studied mechanism of stimulation of Acupuncture points employs penetration of the skin by thin, solid , metallic needles , which are manipulated manually or by electrical stimulation.

Acupuncture is the ancient Chinese medicine about 5000 years old. It had a place in those eras when metal was not known. At that time , sharp stones called pines were used to prick the body surface to cure diseases. Needles made of bones and bamboos were also used. Since, the results were very good , this practice of body pricking was further explored and developed .
The traceable history suggests that Huang Di (the Yellow emperor) was the father of Acupuncture. He formulated the structure of Chinese medicine ,and his observations and conclusions were compiled in a book called “Huang Di Nei Jing” (the Yellow emperor’s classic of Internal medicine written in 400-200 B.C.
In 141-203 A.D. the most famous surgeon of China , Huato used needle to relieve headache and pain in lower extremities for emperor Tsao Tisao . Each treatment produced excellent result .
In Tang Dynasty, Acupuncture & moxibustion developed steadily .
In 960-1643 A.D., the first copper model, showing all Acupuncture points was made with a great contribution towards the progress of Acupuncture and moxibustion.
In the Ching Dynasty(1644-1911) this art of healing did not perish , on the contrary they were introduced to other countries .
At the time of Mao Tsetung from 1949 Acupuncture could undergo more research work due to official aid . In year 1958 operations were tried under Acupuncture anaesthesia.
Today, many Acupuncture associations are established in various countries, and the development is closely watched by all medical fields concerned . It can cure many Chronic diseases and deformities for which all hopes have been lost.
The modern theories like Gate control theory of pain and endomorphine release theory to explain relief of pain by Acupuncture needling and motor gate theory explain the recovery of muscles in paralytic cases, are very popular theories.
World Health Organization (W.H.O) after Scientific evaluation over 25 years, has also recognized Acupuncture .

According to traditional Chinese concepts, energy is always flowing in the body through networking of Channels which connects between internal organ and superficial path on the skin known as Meridians.
There are about 1000 Acupuncture points for different diseases which lie on these meridians.
In all there are 14 meridians over the body and each meridian has a definite pathway and it divides into 2 parts i. e. , internal pathway which connects to the pertaining organ and travels inside the body and links the external pathway at starting of Acupuncture point .Thus, the whole pathway of meridian forms a close circuit. This circuit has definite direction of flow of energy , these close circuit model meridian provides the basis of Chinese explanation of why needle at certain point can cure diseases of other parts for e.g. needles in hand can cure the Headache.
The meridian serves as a conductor through which the hand is linked to the head. The impulses generated by the needling in the hand is transmitted to head through the meridian.
There are near about 700 Acupuncture points, out of them 361 points lie in these classical 14 meridians. Rest of the points fall outside the path of meridians.

Acupuncture works by balancing the flow of energy (sometimes called Chi) in the body using insertion of hair thin needles at specific points on the skin which are located near nerve endings.
The stimulation can be given manually (by hand) or electrically (by electric pulse stimulator device).
Now -a-day, electrical stimulation has replaced the manual stimulation. Manual stimulation practiced earlier was very painful.
Painless needle applicator made up of metal is used to insert needle at specific points. After this, Electric stimulation can be carried out by connecting the needle to an electric pulse stimulator.
During the Acupuncture session, patients might experience soreness or numbness in areas where needles are being inserted. This is a natural reaction of the body on the insertion of a foreign object. It is based on the principle that Acupuncture stimulates and hence induces the body to perform self-repair(healing) functions.
While, Acupuncture is capable of treating nearly every illness, not every patient will respond to the treatment. The reason for this is that Acupuncture relies on the Cooperation of the patient - a willingness to observe and work with one’s own body.
Acupuncture is 10% the physician’s effort & 90%by the patient effort.

In addition to pain relief, Acupuncture is also used to improve well-being and treat acute, chronic and degenerative conditions in children and adults.
The list of variety of common disorders being treated by Acupuncture are mentioned below

The Epilepsies, Parkinsonism, Headache, Migraine , Facial paralysis(Bell’s palsy), Balbar palsy, Insomnia, Poliomyelitis, Meniere’s Diseases, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Hemiplegia, Paraplegia. Cerebral palsy (C.P), optic Nerve, Glucoma.

Common cold, Allergic Rhinitis, Sinusitis, Tonsillitis, Hoarseness of voice, Bronchitis, asthma

Angina Pectoris, Palpitation, Hypotension (Low blood pressure),Hypertension(High blood pressure)

Gastritis, Gastric Ulcer , Dyspepsia(Indigestion), Abdominal distention, Appendicitis, Diarrhea, Intestinal Colic, constipation, Hemorrhoids (piles), Prolapse of rectum.

Oedema, Nephritis, Renalcolic, Retention of Urine, Nocturnal Enuresis (Bed wetting)

Amenorrhea, Irregular menstruation, Menorrhagia, leucorrhea, Post-partum pain, Lactation deficiency, Painless delivery.

Temporo-Mandibular Arthritis, Cervical Spondylosis, Intercoastal Neuralgia, Backache, Frozen Shoulder, Tennis elbow, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Rheumatic Arthritis, Sciatica, Plantar Fasciitis, All spine diseases.

Acne (pimples), Urticaria, Herpes Zoster, Leucoderma, Psoriasis.

Deafness and Mutism, Tinnitus, Earache, Otitis Media.

Myopia, Optic neuritis(Glucoma), Night blindness.

Diabetes Mellitus

Hysteria,Schizophrenia, Mental depression,Impotence, Mental retardation, cerebal palsy (C.P)

Drug addiction, Alcohol addiction, Smoking addiction.