By Jennifer Dubowsky, LAc
Acupuncture is one of the primary, and perhaps best known, treatments used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The practice of acupuncture involves inserting very fine needles into specific acupoints along your body’s meridians in order to balance and assist the free flow of qi. Although that was just one sentence of a couple dozen words, it contains concepts that your TCM practitioner has studied for years. You don’t need to go to four years of graduate school but I know that understanding more about acupuncture will help you to become a smart participant in your health care treatments. I am going to describe 3 essential components of acupuncture and, by the time you finish reading this post, you will have a much better understanding of how it works. Let’s go over the key elements of acupuncture:
Qi (pronounced ‘chee’) is one of the oldest and most basic concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine but also one of the hardest to define. Qi is considered the vital energy that exists in all of us and our universe. This concept exists in other countries by other names. In Japan, it is known as ‘ki’ and in India, yogis call it ‘prana’. In ancient Greece, it was known as ‘pneuma’ and in ancient Egypt as ‘ka’.
In TCM, your good health and vitality is dependent on sufficient amounts of qi and its free flow throughout your body. Illness results when Qi stagnates or is blocked, or when your body has too little, or too much of it. When Qi flows freely, well-being is restored. The power of an acupuncturist’s needles comes from Qi. It is this energy that acupuncturists manipulate in order to balance your body, fight disease and help you to maintain good health.
Meridians. Meridians are pathways that carry Qi throughout your body. Acupuncture points (acupoints) are located along the meridians and promote your body’s healing abilities by regulating 
the flow of Qi through these meridians. Over thousands of years, practitioners of TCM have mapped out 12 main meridians and 8 extra meridians on your body. Each meridian is connected to one specific organ, or group of organs, that govern particular bodily functions.
Needles. The needles used by acupuncturists in the U.S. are usually as fine as a strand of hair (photo to the right shows a needle compared to a human hair). When an experienced, well trained practitioner inserts the needles in the appropriate points, she assists the flow of Qi and helps your body to heal.
Jennifer Dubowsky, LAc, is a licensed acupuncturist with a practice in downtown Chicago, Illinois, since 2002. Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from University of Illinois in Chicago and her Master of Science degree in Oriental Medicine from Southwest Acupuncture College in Boulder, Colorado. During her studies, she completed an internship at the Sino-Japanese Friendship Hospital in Beijing, China. Jennifer has researched and written articles on Chinese medicine and given talks on the topic. Her website is www.tcm007.com and she maintains a popular blog about health and Chinese medicine at Acupuncture Blog Chicago. Adventures in Chinese Medicine is her first book.