Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical system which treats the entire body. It uses very fine needles inserted into specific locations of the body to relief symptoms and even cure various medical problems. The theory is that the body has energy (Qi - pronounched "chee") and when the flow of that energy is disrupted or blocked it causes physical problems (pain, diseases, illness, addictions, etc.). By realigning the energy flow with the needles the problem is cleared up or the symptoms are relieved.

Practitioners require a minimum of three years of training to correctly perform acupuncture. But, properly trained acupuncturists can work seeming miracles. They can stop pain without drugs (even during surgery or childbirth). They can stop addictions by removing the cravings (my husband used acupunture to stop smoking - 2 treatments, no cravings and no weight gain and he was up to a pack a day when he went for treatment). They can cure or relieve the the symptoms of many debilitating diseases - fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraines, infertility, high blood pressure, carpal tunnel, asthma, depression, etc.

Acupuncture is NOT all-powerful though. It cannot fix a burst appendix or set a bone, but it will help with the pain. It will not cure most types of cancer - a few have gone into remission if treated with accupuncture early enough.Drawbacks - the primary drawbacks, outside of China, are:
1) Finding a qualified practitioner - it does require extensive training and precision - if the needles are not precisely placed, it will not be effective and may even cause problems.
2) Most insurance companies will not pay for the treatments or payment is very limited. Since most treatments require more than one session, the costs can add up over time.