Acupuncture

ACUPUNCTURE (from Lat. acus, 'a needle', and pungere, 'to prick'), a form of surgical operation, performed by pricking the part affected with a needle. It has long been used by the Chinese in cases of headaches, lethargies, convulsions, colics, etc. (See SURGERY.)

Traditional Chinese theory holds that acupuncture works by redirecting mystical "qi" energy in the body. There is no physical evidence for the existence of qi or for its claimed effects, so acupuncture is often considered a pseudoscience even though there is some evidence that acupuncture itself can be effective for treating pain. The actual mechanism by which it works is unknown.