Acupuncture
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Acupuncture is a practice where thin needles are placed at certain points in the body to release certain blockages in body channels. If patients are afraid of needles, they can opt for acupressure which is acupuncture with the use of massage points instead of needles. The ancient Chinese mapped the bodily channels and called them “meridians”. Blocked channels cause varying illnesses according to their meridian. The goal of acupuncture was to manipulate, activate, or move the energy flow through the meridians by stimulating the gateways at each needle’s point. There are 365 practiced points throughout the fourteen meridians. Practitioners will choose the points carefully upon diagnosis, and thin needles are placed in the points for twenty minutes to an hour. An average of fifteen needles is used along a particular meridian. Afterwards, patients are instructed to relax and wait a while for the flow of qi to move and unclog the meridian. Moxibustion, the burning of the mugwort herb, is commonly used along with acupuncture. This is also used to stimulate blood flow and move energy.