Acupuncture is a word that is derived from two Latin words, the first one being acus which when translated to English gives the meaning needle and the second word pungere which in English stands for prick.
The art originated in the depths of china thousands of years ago and has since transformed into various forms.
There are many different techniques used in acupuncture, and many of the modern day techniques do not use any needles.
Alternatives to needles that practitioners of the art use today include things like different vibrating objects, ultrasound technology, and even the fingers of the practitioner.
This all makes the person feel much better.
Historical documents show us that acupuncture has it history rooted in the Chinese culture with several ancient documents suggesting that the art started in that country.
However aside from the many different historical texts that suggest that the roots of acupuncture lie in china there are many archaeologists who have found several old 5000 year old mummy's in the french alps who have been seen with similar acupuncture points impressed on their body.
Some people say that this suggests that people were practising the art well before the Chinese were but because there is no formal evidence to prove that, the credit has to go the Chinese for the practice of this ancient art form.
History tells us that it was around the sixth century when this art form moved onto Japan.
The art was practised on and on but it was only until the seventeenth century where development in this art form began, where a man known by the name of Waichi Sugiyama created a tube through which to insert the needle, the point of this was to create a painless experience for the patient.
To this day this method is still used and very effective.
So there you have a little history of acupuncture and where it comes from.
It can be painless experience for those that want to try it, and many patients have claimed that it does wonders for them.