What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an ancient health science which is used to successfully treat both pain and dysfunction in the body. The science is between 5,000 and 7,000 years old. Stone acupuncture needles have been found that date back to 3000 B.C. in

Mongolia. Acupuncture's origins in China are uncertain. The earliest Chinese medical text that first describes Acupuncture is the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (History of Acupuncture) Huangdi Neijing, which was compiled around 305–204 B.C.


[1]Acupuncture is thought to have originated in China and is most commonly associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine. Different types of Acupuncture

(Classical Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, and Korean Acupuncture) are practiced

and taught throughout the world.


Early Chinese physicians discovered there is an energy network traversing just below the surface of the skin

which communicates from the exterior to the internal organs and structures over 1,000. At first glimpse,

Acupuncture appears strange, as its primary notoriety is the utilization of needles placed in the skin at various

locations to relieve pain or affect a body part.


There are  various "Acupoints" on the body. This energy works in harmony with the body's circulatory, nervous,

muscular, digestive, genitourinary and all other systems of the body. When this vital energy becomes blocked or

weakened, an effect in a body system or anatomic location becomes evident. Stimulation of one or a combination

of key "Acupoints" on the body may restore harmony to the affected area.


What is Meridian Therapy?


Meridian therapy is the accepted name employed by those

who practice the principle of Acupuncture without the use

of a penetrating needle.


Acupuncture is a principle, not a technique. Therefore, there

are many ways to stimulate an Acupoint other than a needle.



What Conditions Can Acupuncture Treat?



Acupuncture is effective in the following conditions.


Acute and chronic pain relief, migraine, tension cluster and sinus headaches, trigeminal neuralgia,

bladder dysfunction, cervical (neck) pain, and mid-back pain, low shoulder, tennis elbow, post-operative

pain relief, gastric problems, asthma, allergies, skin conditions, abnormal blood pressure, fatigue,

anxiety, neurologic syndrome, various eye problems, etc., etc.


This is only a partial list of the numerous conditions Acupuncture has been credited with helping.


For more information on Acupuncture visit: www.iama.edu or Call our office 352-394-5100

What the American  Chiropractic Association (ACA) says about Acupuncture.




[1] "Despite considerable efforts to understand the anatomy and physiology of the "acupuncture points",

the definition and characterization of these points remains controversial. Even more elusive is the basis

of some of the key traditional Eastern medical concepts such as the circulation of Qi, the meridian system,

and the five phases theory, which are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but

continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in

acupuncture.

"NIH Consensus Development Program (November 3-5, 1997).

Acupuncture --Consensus Development Conference Statement.

National Institutes of Health. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.



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