Seven years of practicing acupuncture has shown us a couple of things. (Here's a start.)
We're not going to give you a drawn out history lesson, but it is important to know that acupuncture has been around for 2500 years. The basis is simple: we have internal organs that have to talk to other organs in order to do their job. Stomach must churn food to prepare the pancreas to excrete bicarbonate to help neutralize bile to the small intestine at the same time our liver dumps bile into the duodenum to break down the fat we just ate. Okay, everything is working on the inside together, and the Chinese believed that there must be a correlation on the outside to the organs on the inside. This correlation of the organs on the inside to certain "groupings" of stimulatory points on the outside is know as "meridians." Honestly, more and more evidence-based research is being done in the scientific realm that brings more clout to acupuncture than ever before.
The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture has compiled an entire list of what's been proven clinically (double-blind studies) as a complimentary therapy. It has also been proven that stimulation of acupuncture points dramatically increases the body's production of natural opiates (endorphins and enkephalins). These are painkilling hormones that our brain makes to help us cope with pain! Need we say more? If you are afraid of needles, fear not! We do primarily use needles, but we also utilize an acupuncture laser (no needles), mini-acupuncture Band-Aids (smallest needle on the market), and/or electronic stimulation acupuncture. So, whatever your ailment, acupuncture as a complimentary treatment may be the answer you are searching for.