Acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles through your skin at strategic points on your body. A key component of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is most commonly used to treat pain. Increasingly, it is being used for overall wellness, including stress management. Traditional Chinese medicine explains acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy or life force — known as chi or qi (chee) — believed to flow through pathways (meridians) in your body. By inserting needles into specific points along these meridians, acupuncture practitioners believe that your energy flow will re-balance. In contrast, many Western practitioners view the acupuncture points as places to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue. Some believe that this stimulation boosts your body's natural painkillers. Before having acupuncture treatment, be sure to tell the practitioner if you: 1) Have a bleeding disorder. Your chances of bleeding or bruising from the needles may be increased if you have a bleeding disorder or if you're taking blood thinners.
2) Have a pacemaker. Acupuncture that involves applying mild electrical pulses to the needles may potentially interfere with a pacemaker's operation.
3) Are pregnant. Some acupuncture points are thought to stimulate labor, which could result in a premature delivery.