Acupuncture
Also known as: Acupressure
From the Latin acus ('needle') and punctura ('puncture'); the Chinese term is zhen jiu.
Acupuncture is a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine involving the insertion of thin needles at specific points on the body, traditionally believed to correspond to channels of energy flow called meridians. It is used, with mixed but growing research support, for conditions such as chronic pain and nausea.
Acupressure applies the same point map as acupuncture but uses finger or hand pressure instead of needles, making it accessible for self-care. Research on acupuncture has found modest evidence of benefit for certain types of pain, though the mechanism remains debated between traditional energy-flow explanations and modern neurophysiological ones.
Traditional Chinese Medicine describes needles placed along meridians as restoring the flow of qi, while contemporary research frameworks explain the same effects through nerve stimulation, localized blood flow changes, and endorphin release, without needing to invoke qi itself. It differs from acupressure, which uses finger pressure rather than needles, and evidence is strongest for certain pain conditions and chemotherapy-related nausea, more mixed elsewhere, which is why it works best as a complement to, not a replacement for, conventional care from a licensed practitioner.
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