What is Acupuncture?

The medical use of acupuncture originated in China over 2500 years ago. In the course of its history and its spread throughout East and West, acupuncture has evolved into a diversity of styles, all of which share two commonalities: A system of channels, or pathways, which can be accessed via small openings to the skin’s surface, and the use of very fine metallic needles that are inserted into a careful selection of points per diagnosis. Acupuncture works because the channels are closely intertwined with our connective tissue system. This connective system functions as a fundamentally unified structure that permeates the entire body down to the cellular level, and the channels are like rivers of energy and fluid that flow through tissues to connect every part of our body. Through the use of acupuncture, that which is stuck, knotted, and stagnant, that which causes pain, distress, and disease, can be touched and released. Acupuncture has the ability to stimulate our nervous, endocrine, immune, and autonomic nervous system, releasing a flow of electrical and chemical messages that catalyze the body’s healing process.