Acupuncture is a treatment in which small needles are inserted into specific points on the body. It is a treatment, which is promoted as a pain reliever from chronic aches and pains. Acupuncture has been practiced in China for several thousand years but didn't start getting popular in the United States until the early 1970's. .
Acupuncture is mainly used to help relieve a person of pain. There is research going on right now that may help ease withdrawal from addiction to hard drugs and alcohol. Many doctors today believe that acupuncture works as a placebo, which is a fake treatment to make the patient believe that they are being cured of pain when really nothing is happening. There have been tests, which have been done with patients receiving the real acupuncture treatments and other patients receiving fake acupuncture treatments. The study found that patients receiving the fake treatment get just about the same amount of relief as those who had the real treatment. According to an expert consensus panel assembled by the National Institutes of Health in 1997, scientist studied the effects that acupuncture has on pain and it was shown that acupuncture is an effective treatment in relieving pain after dental surgery and in reducing the nausea and vomiting that comes with pregnancy, chemotherapy, and anesthesia. Other research has shown that acupuncture can be useful in helping with asthma, osteoarthritis, lower back pain, headaches, menstrual cramps, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and other conditions that may cause chronic pain. Another area that is currently being research is the effect acupuncture has on helping to ease withdrawal symptoms from addiction to hard drugs and alcohol. Currently acupuncture of the ear is being used in detoxification clinics all over the United States. They have not found the same results with addiction to tobacco, however. .
The treatments are done by inserting very tiny, hair thin needles into specific parts of your body.