Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese form of medicine which has been used in China for over 3000 years. It is practised and its effectiveness is now accepted in many countries around the world including New Zealand.

Rigorous scientific research has confirmed that acupuncture promotes the production of natural healing substances to relieve pain and relax muscles. It helps to regulate nerve transmission, enhance the immune system, regulate hormones and blood flow, and release natural anti-inflammatory substances. Acupuncture also elevates mood.
Acupuncture aims at treating the illness and the imbalance in the body causing it thereby improving health and well-being. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) describes pathways of energy/Qi flowing through the body, carrying nourishment and information to all tissues and organs. Disease occurs when some factor disrupts the normal flow of Qi. The role of the acupuncturist is to restore the normal flow and re-establish health.

With its unique system of diagnosis, an acupuncturist will ask not only details of the immediate problem, but also ask a range of questions in order to get a deeper understanding of the patients health.

A patients tongue and pulse can give the practitioner vital clues about their underling health, even before an illness has presented itself physically and help the practitioner choose the most appropriate points to use.

In this way acupuncture can be successfully used as a preventative medicine and bring positive benefits as a regular tonic, stimulating the immune system and helping de-stress and relax the body. We often suggest to clients they consider a wellness treatment every four to six weeks for this purpose.

 Kim is an ACC Treatment provider and member of AcupunctureNZ

Watch this video clip for a good introduction to Acupuncture
Introduction to Acupuncture with Dr. David Miller


Take a look at this link for a concise, fully referenced document that helps explain Acupuncture in a modern world: 

Acupuncture: More than Pain ManagementA review of the research and potential of an ancient therapy in modern times


This is an Acupuncture documentary by BBC. You will see tradicional chinese treatments, different healing methods as Qi Gong, Tai Chi Chuan and also a heart surgery without anesthetic, only using acupuncture.
The Science of Acupuncture BBC Documentary Traditional Chinese Medicine

Acupuncture Safety
Evidence Based Acupuncture

"For the past 50 years, acupuncture has been subjected to intensive scientific evaluation in over 8,000 clinical trials and has demonstrated its effectiveness in the treatment of many diseases occurring in modern Western societies. But in order to be a viable healthcare choice, any treatment must not only be effective but also be safe for patients, demonstrating a good balance of benefit to potential harm. If the effectiveness of acupuncture is impressive, its safety profile is even more so. There is no other intervention in the modern Western medical system that can even comes close to acupuncture in terms of safety. The following article discusses the safety of acupuncture as well as some of the main issues concerning research in the field." - Evidence Based Acupuncture