Acupuncture is one of the modalities or methods of treatment under the TCM system. It involves the
insertion of very fine needles at precise acupuncture points on the body to treat various forms of health conditions.

Being a modality of Chinese medicine, acupuncture cannot be applied effectively without following the practice of Chinese medicine. The treatment must be based on careful diagnostic of the patient’s yin-yang balance in the organ system using the proper methods. In Chinese medicine, it is

 understood that the same symptom can be a result of numerous different root causes.  In order to correct the health problem, the practitioner must properly diagnose the root cause and provide the proper treatment.

In other words, there is not a set group of needles used for each symptom. As an example, someone who is not fully trained in Chinese medicine will always use the same group of acupuncture points for headache, without proper assessment and understanding of what the root causes are.  Acupuncture points which reduce yang will work if that is the root cause, but will aggravate the symptoms if the root cause is yang deficiency.