Acupuncture: The Science of the Meridians and the Healing Power of Tiny Needles
A needle thinner than a human hair. Inserted with precise skill into a specific point on the skin. Left in place for twenty minutes while the patient rests in a quiet room. And somehow — in ways that modern science is still working to fully explain — pain that has persisted for months begins to ease. Sleep improves. Anxiety reduces. Digestion normalizes. Fertility returns. Acupuncture is the most extensively researched complementary medicine practice in the world and one of the most frequently used — an estimated 40 million Americans receive acupuncture treatment each year, and the practice is recognized by the World Health Organization as an effective treatment for dozens of conditions, practiced by licensed professionals in virtually every country. How does inserting hair-thin needles into specific points on the skin produce these effects? The traditional answer — that acupuncture regulates the flow of Qi through the body's meridian network — and the modern scientific answer ...