Acupuncture is currently being used for a number of medical treatments. It is important to look at the history of acupuncture, how it relates to post stroke patients and what its significance is to the nursing field.
             Acupuncture was developed by the ancient Chinese who "felt awe for the sanctity of the human body. The Nei Ching, attributed to the emperor Huang-Ti (2698-2598 BC), contains a reference to a theory of the
             circulation of the blood and the vital function of the heart that suggests familiarity with anatomy. Accurate location of the proper points for the traditional Chinese practice of acupuncture implies some familiarity with the nervous and vascular systems (Unknown, 2004)."
             Supporters of acupuncture believe "illness is caused by a disruption in the flow of qi (pronounced 'chee'), the collection of energies that endow us with our vitality (Boozang, 1998)." It is felt that the energy travels through "different medians that connect certain organs together (Levin, 2003)." The qi, or life force, is restored when "needles are inserted along the meridians at different acupuncture points, where energy travels close to the surface. Once inserted, the needles are then stimulated either manually by turning them, or electrically (Levin, 2003)."
             In the United States, the main reason acupuncture is performed is for pain relief, however it is also used for "rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, muscle and nerve difficulties', depression, smoking, eating disorders, drug behavior problems', migraine, acne, cancer and constipation (Boozang,1998)." It is believed that acupuncture can lessen the addictions, as well as "manage disorders of the digestive, respiratory and vascular systems (Levin, 2003)."
             Since the early 1980's, acupuncture has "become a more acceptable alternative form of medical treatment in the United States. However, much of the information about acupuncture and its ability to treat disorders comes from China, and the Chin...