Acupuncture is a Chinese medical practice that treats illness, and can provide local anesthesia, by inserting very fine needles at specific points on the body. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, energy known as Qi (pronounced chee) flows along channels called meridians, and acupuncture points act like major intersections along them. When Qi is out of balance, those intersections become congested, and your particular set of symptoms reflects which points are affected.