Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of relieving pain and treating disease by inserting fine metal needles into particular parts of the body. The invention of acupuncture cannot be dated. The procedure of needle insertion was practiced in the Stone Age and apparently evolved into the formal system of acupuncture over time. Ancient Chinese medical practitioners learned that certain areas of the skin showed sensitivity during illness or organ malfunction, and that the particular areas of sensitivity depended on the particular disease or dysfunction. The points were found to be part of a pattern rather than being randomly distributed. The lines linking the patterns of points were called meridians; each meridian was linked with certain body organs and physical conditions. These points of skin sensitivity were then related to Taoist philosophy, which asserts that the life force, or energy, called Qi, circulates throughout the body. Balance within the...