Acupuncture

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Acupuncture \Ac`u*punc"ture\, v. t.
     To treat with acupuncture.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:



  Acupuncture \Ac`u*punc"ture\ ([a^]k`[-u]*p[u^][ng]k"t[-u]r or
     [a^]k"[-u]*p[u^][ng]k`ch[-u]r), n. [L. acus needle + punctura
     a pricking, fr. pungere to prick: cf. F. acuponcture.]
     Pricking with a needle; a needle prick. Specifically (Med.):
     The insertion of needles into the living tissues for remedial
     purposes, such as to relieve pain. It was first recorded as
     being practised in China, and the technique is believed to be
     over 2,000 years old. AS
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Acupuncture
           (An NIH Consensus Statement prepared by a nonadvocate,
           non-Federal panel of experts)
           November 3-5, 1997
           Vol. 15, No. 5
           Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely
           practiced in the United States. While there have been
           many studies of its potential usefulness, many of these
           studies provide equivocal results because of design,
           sample size, and other factors. The issue is further
           complicated by inherent difficulties in the use of
           appropriate controls, such as placebos and sham
           acupuncture groups. However, promising results have
           emerged, for example, showing efficacy of acupuncture
           in adult post-operative and chemotherapy nausea and
           vomiting and in post-operative dental pain. There are
           other situations such as addiction, stroke
           rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis
           elbow, fibromyalgia, myofacial pain, osteoarthritis,
           low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma where
           acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an
           acceptable alternative or be included in a
           comprehensive management program. Further research is
           likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture
           interventions will be useful.
                                                    --taken from:
                                                    http://odp.od.nih.gov/consensus/cons/107/107_intro.htm
     [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  acupuncture
       n : treatment of pain or disease by inserting the tips of
           needles at specific points on the skin [syn: {stylostixis}]