Mayo Clinic Q and A: Curious about acupuncture?

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I started chemotherapy last month, and my health care provider suggested I try acupuncture for nausea. How does acupuncture work? Is there any risk to trying it?

ANSWER: Traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture, dates back more than 2,500 years. Acupuncture involves inserting thin, single-use, sterile needles through the skin to identify and correct imbalances within the body's "energy" flow, called "qi" or "chi." Acupuncture as a form of medical treatment has become more popular in the U.S. in recent decades, particularly as an adjunct to Western treatments or as part of an integrative system of care.

Evidence suggests that acupuncture may provide a range of health benefits. It may be useful as a stand-alone treatment for some conditions, but, as in your case, it's increasingly used as part of an integrative medicine approach in conjunction with conventional medical treatments.