Definition
Acupuncture is a traditional therapy used to treat a variety of health-related problems. It involves assessment of the condition and development of a differential diagnosis followed by the insertion and manipulation of thin, solid metal needles at specific locations on the body. Various techniques are used to stimulate the needles and improve the therapeutic effects, including manual manipulation or adding a mild electrical current.
There are many different types of acupuncture. For example, auricular acupuncture involves placement of stainless steel or gold (semipermanent) needles or “studs” at specific points on the ears. These are often left in place for 3–5 days. Other treatments such as acupressure (applying pressure or massaging acupoints), gua sha(scraping), moxibustion, or cupping are also used as adjuncts to acupuncture therapy. Moxibustion is a technique for providing heat to the needles. It...
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References and Further Readings
Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). (n.d.). Laurel. http://acaom.org/. Accessed 27 Aug 2019.
Code of Federal Regulations (21CFR880.5580). (n.d.) US Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services. [61FR 64617, December 6, 1996, revised April 1, 2011].
Deng, L., Gan, Y., He, S., et al. (1997). Acupuncture techniques. In Y. Cheng (Ed.), Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press.
Helms, J. M. (1997). Acupuncture energetics: A clinical approach for physicians. Berkeley: Medical Acupuncture Publishers.
National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). (n.d.). Jacksonville. http://www.nccaom.org/. Accessed 27 Aug 2019.
National Institutes of Health (NIH). (n.d.-a). National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Bethesda. http://nccih.nih.gov/. Accessed 27 Aug 2019a.
National Institutes of Health (NIH). (n.d.-b). National Cancer Institute (NCI). Acupuncture PDQ. Bethesda. http://www.cancer.gov/. Accessed 27 Aug 2019b.
World Health Organization. (2002). WHO traditional medicine strategy 2002–2005. Geneva: World Health Organization.
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Garcia, M.K., Cohen, L. (2020). Acupuncture. In: Gellman, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_783-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_783-2
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