Traditional Chinese medicine says that good health is associated with the balance of qi -- an energy force that flows through the body. Qi can be hindered or helped by yin and yang -- opposing forces that, when balanced, work harmoniously together. According to traditional theory, the goal of acupuncture is to promote the flow of qi by keeping yin and yang in balance -- and this is done by inserting needles at various points along primary channels and meridians that crisscross the body.// Acupuncture is widely employed in easing cravings and withdrawal pains of heroin addicts. 40% of the drug courts in the United States use acupuncture as part of their therapy. In the Miami system alone there are close to four hundred treatments per day. In some countries, such as Sweden, the doctors have achieved success with acupuncture in treating the effects of stroke. Those stroke patients getting acupuncture along with physical therapy did a lot better than those getting physical therapy alone.//

　　中国传统医学认为，健康的体魄与气脉平衡有关。所谓“气”就是流动于体内的能量，其通畅与否由阴阳二气决定，当这两种相对立的气脉趋于平衡时，它们在一起就十分和谐。根据传统理论，针刺疗法的目的就在于使阴阳二气平衡从而加羁气脉的流动。其方法是将针刺入体内交错的主要脉络上的各穴位。//针刺疗法被广泛用于缓解海洛因吸毒者的吸毒欲望以及戒毒带来的痛苦。在美国，40%的戒毒所将针刺疗法用作治疗的组成部分。仅仅在迈阿密地区，每天就有近400项治疗使用针刺疗法。在有些国家，如瑞典，医生用针刺疗法成功地治疗了中风。那些同时接受针疗和理疗的中风病人与仅接受理疗的中风病人相比，前者的疗效远比后者好得多。//