Acupuncture: new alternative medicine or scam? Acupuncture is an ancient therapeutic practice of Chinese medicine; however, this practice is becoming more and more prevalent each year in America. Have you ever wondered how sticking tiny needles into someone can actually help reduce pain and other illnesses? Acupuncture is, by definition, “a Chinese medical practice or procedure that treats disease or provides local anesthesia through the insertion of needles at specified sites on the body” (“Acupuncture”). It seems crazy that getting stuck with needles can actually relieve pain, right? According to an article on the effects of acupuncture on central autonomic regulation, "acupuncture has clinical effectiveness on various nerve-related disorders, such as cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, anxiety and nervousness, disorders circadian rhythm, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and subfertility. (Li et al.). The big question when it comes to acupuncture is: does it actually work, or do its psychological and therapeutic effects simply make people believe that it works? Acupuncture originated in China thousands of years ago as part of traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM (Li et al.). TCM draws on the Taoist philosophy that “people have a dynamic interaction with their environment, in which health and well-being are influenced by the natural environment” (Leake and Broderick). According to an article by Leake and Broderick, "acupuncture became firmly established as a system of medicine during the Sui dynasty in 589-618 with the founding of the Imperial Medical College." In the context of TCM, acupuncture “is believed to restore the balance between Yin and Yang”, which, in Western medicine terms, translates to: “acupuncture modulates the im.. .... middle of paper..... .Debate." Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies 5.4 (2012): 141-47. ScienceDirect. Elsevier BV, August 2012. Web. April 2014. Neporent, Liz. "A close look at acupuncture for pain." ABC News. ABC News Network, April 22, 2014. Web. April 2014. Ng, Siu-Man and Yan-mun Yiu "Acupuncture for chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomized trial and controlled with a single-blind design” Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 19.4 (2013): 21-26. ProQuest. 2014 ProQuest LLC, July-August 2013. Web. April 3, 2014. “Many Benefits of Acupuncture.” Many benefits of acupuncture. Acupuncturecost.org, 2014. Web. April 2014. “Ways to Save Money on Acupuncture Treatment.” » Ways to Save Money on Acupuncture Treatment. Acupuncturecost.org, 2014. Web. April 2014 Wen, Leana. “When a prescription for painkillers becomes a gateway to addiction.” NPR. NPR, February 15, 2014. Web. Apr. 2014.