For some, "being on pins and needles" describes a nervous or excited state. For others, pins and needles are used to encourage and balance the flow of energy through the body. Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese tradition, is growing in popularity throughout the West. But what is it all about? Below, two experts discuss how tiny pins, placed strategically in the body, can be used to heal.

What is acupuncture?
DR. BENJAMIN KLIGLER: Acupuncture is an art and science of healing that was developed in China over the last several thousand years and has now become quite popular in the West. It is based on the use of needles inserted into the body as a means of unblocking or harmonizing the flow of chi, or energy, in the body, which forms the basis for both good health and ill health.

What is "chi", and how does acupuncture actually affect it?
WILLIAM KAPLANIDIS: "Chi" is energy in your body, or life force, and there are different kinds of chi in the body. The idea is that the needles are put in specific points to affect different systems in the body. Chinese doctors look at the body a little bit differently than Western doctors. Where a Western doctor may look at the physiology of the organs, the Chinese look at the different organs in terms of their jobs, or functions. And there are jobs that the organs do in relation to each other, and the needles will help give the body signals to help the organs do their jobs better and in more harmony to bring a person back to balance.

Does everybody have chi, and how is chi perceived?
DR. BENJAMIN KLIGLER: Everybody has chi, but you can't actually see it. There have been a lot of studies done to try and determine exactly what it is. They have tried to measure chi as a magnetic field and as electricity and as a whole range of understandable forces. But nobody has succeeded in figuring out how to measure it from a Western point of view.

Chinese doctors and acupuncture practitioners get trained in how to feel the chi in the different channels in the body.

WILLIAM KAPLANIDIS: Western science has already noticed that certain acupuncture points have different electrical resistances than areas just around those points, so they know there is something special there. Western science has mapped out currents in the body that are separate from the nervous system current, for example. So they've gotten pieces of it and can explain parts of how it works, but they haven't gotten the whole picture yet from a Western, technological point of view.

Could you describe a first-time visit to the acupuncturist?
WILLIAM KAPLANIDIS: A first visit, just in general for me, might take an hour and a half to two hours. I'd have the patient fill out a medical form which includes a whole list of symptoms, which will help me get a picture of what's going on with the whole person, not just that one symptom that they're coming to me for. After I review the paperwork, I'll ask them a series of questions. Oftentimes the questions will not necessarily relate to the pain they've come to me with. But each acupuncture point has many functions, so I need a complete picture of the person to find the cause of the problem.

Once I finish the evaluation, I have them lie down on the table and I continue my evaluation by palpating their pulse, which would give me more information; looking at their tongue; I might palpate their abdomen to see if there are tender spots. Again, each part of the body is like a map giving you information of what's going on inside.

If it's a complicated case, I may opt to sit on it for a while, think about it, and then have them come back for the treatment. Otherwise, if I feel confident in my initial diagnosis, I then begin with the needles.

Before beginning any treatment, I explain to them what's going to happen. I also do visualization and relaxation techniques with patients who are really, really nervous.

Do the needles hurt?
WILLIAM KAPLANIDIS: As children we get lots of injections, and those needles are much thicker and they're hollow, so they actually tear your skin, and it's much more painful. Acupuncture needles are very thin, some are even hair thin. I've put in six needles in a patient, and they've asked, "So when are you going to put the first needle in?"

How deep do you put them in?
WILLIAM KAPLANIDIS: It depends on the area of the body. They can go anywhere from 0.1 cm to two or three inches. For example, you would go deeper into the buttocks than into the chest region.

What determines which points you choose?
WILLIAM KAPLANIDIS: I look at which functions are not working properly, and which organs or which systems are being affected. I choose the needle points based on that information. I might use six to ten points, so anywhere from 12 needles or ten needles, depending on the condition of the patient. Then the patient lies in a relaxed position and I put the needles in the points, and the patient stays there for 15 or 20 minutes. During that time, I may leave the room, or I may stay in the room and do other things like acupressure and gentle touch therapy just to move the energy, and maybe put on some nice music and dim the lights.

Do people notice results right away, or is it something that builds over a period of time?
DR. BENJAMIN KLIGLER: People most often need more than one treatment. A common misconception about acupuncture is that is cures magically. There are a lot of people, especially those with acute problems, who will get a lot of benefit after the first time, but people should really expect to go two, three, four times, typically.

How does one go about finding an acupuncturist?
DR. BENJAMIN KLIGLER: If you're in a big city, you can call one of the acupuncture training schools. If you are in a small community, a lot of it has to do with reputation, so you should ask around. Your doctor might be able to recommend somebody; your friends might have been to someone; reputation is a very important part of finding somebody good. Once you find somebody who is recommended, you look at their credentials, you see that they've trained in one of the accredited schools and that they've passed the national board exam, and then you know you're probably in good hands.