Acupuncture is one of the oldest and most continually used alternative medicines, begun thousands of years ago by the Chinese and adopted by other ancient cultures. It follows the Taoist belief that energy - called qi - circulates through the body and that pain, injury, or imbalance occurs when this energy is blocked from moving along specific pathways known as meridians.6 By using long, extremely thin needles inserted at specific points along the body, the energy flow is restored and balance is achieved. Acupuncture has been widely used to alleviate respiratory conditions such as sinusitis, gastrointestinal disorders, and relief from chronic conditions such as migraine headaches7 and osteoarthritis. In the United States, the most common uses for acupuncture are for headache pain, athletic injuries, soft tissue pain, myofacial pain caused by muscle tissue neck pain or tension headaches8, anxiety, and menopausal symptoms. More modern applications address depression, alcoholism and addiction disorders such as smoking and over-eating. Acupuncture can also be combined with electrical stimulation, known as electro-acupuncture.