In Latin 'Acus' means needle and 'Punctura'  means penetration or prick. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese art of Healing. Acupuncture also known as needling is the insertion of fine steel, silver or gold needles into selected areas of the skin as a remedy for disease. There are more than 1,000 Acupuncture points in the human body located along 12 main pathways or channels in each half of the body and two channels in the mid-line of the body. To treat a given case, an acupuncturist has to select about 8-12 points out of these 1,000.

Origin

It was through pain and suffering of war that Acupuncture was discovered. Some believe that Acupuncture originated in the Indus Valley civilization and then spread to Central Asia, Egypt, China and other countries of the orient. Others believe that  it spread to the oriental countries from India through Buddhist monks. The Chinese claim it to be their own science originated about 5,000 years ago. Chinese have nursed it and brought it to its present level of popularity and scientific acceptance. 

The 'Huang Di Nei Jing' is the foundation stone of traditional Chinese medicine. It is said to be the oldest medical text in the world. A special section of it, called Ling Shu is devoted to Acupuncture and moxibustion ( a method of Acupuncture without needles). The Chinese traditionally consider it more as a preventive science than a curative science.