So if you want to give it a try while you are staying in this birthplace of acupuncture, you should be aware that there are some forms of acupuncture which do not actually involve needles at all.

The haci method, for example, is a less unnerving alternative to the use of normal, distressingly sharp, needles.

Liu Yan, director of the Acupuncture and Acupressure College of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SUTCM), explains...

Why are needles used in Chinese medicine?

The ancient Chinese believed that, besides blood, there was one other vital life force or energy, called chi (pronounced chee), carried through our body along 14 channels or meridians.

The body is thought to have two major meridians down the middle of the body - the mid-lines.

One of these runs along the spine on the back of the body and the other goes straight down the middle of the front of the body.

There are also 12 meridian points located in a more random arrangement all over the body. Each of these comprises yang points on the back side of the body and yin points directly opposite on the front of the body.

Each of these 12 meridians corresponds with a bodily organ. Because the meridians connect the interior and exterior of the body, according to traditional Chinese medicine, pressure applied at points along the meridians will affect the related internal organs.

Some diseases can be treated by balancing the flow of chi along either or both yin and yang meridians.

Magnetism

Besides acupuncture and acupressure, Chinese doctors also use magnetic treatment and the "hot vessel treatment."

Magnetic fields can be used to manipulate the flow of chi, as an alternative to inserting needles or applying pressure.

The hot vessel alternative involves burning the inside of a container so that there is no air left inside, and then applying the opening to the skin for a few minutes. The skin at the meridian where the vessel is applied will be sucked up, having a similar affect on the flow of chi as the insertion of a needle. This is said to reduce the coldness or humidity inside the body.

Both these methods are effective. But since they cannot effect the flow of chi with as much intensity as needles can, they are mainly relied on as preventative methods of treatment. Patients wishing to cure a chronic disease are best advised to have acunpucture treatment with needles.

Using haci

Haci treatment brings together acupuncture and magnetic treatment as well as hot vessel treatment.

A haci instrument is composed of a hollow rubber ball and magnetic needles.

When the rubber sphere is squeezed, the skin is sucked up towards the magnetic needle. These needles are not used to pierce the skin, but simply to exert magnetic force of varying degrees on a meridian.

This also stimulates the flow of chi.

Don't overdo it

A qualified acupuncture doctor knows exactly where to apply treatment for different complaints; and exactly how much of a north or south magnetic field is required to balance the yin and the yang and achieve the right flow of chi.

Needles with north magnetic fields are generally applied to points at the front of the body, while those with south magnetic fields are put directly opposite on the back.

Sometimes it is necessary to place the needles next to each other on the same side of the body.

It is important to know, however, that too many needles on the body at the same time can be damaging.

The magnetic power that one person can endure is limited. If overdone, a patient will feel nausea, dizziness or even worse.

And if you are hairy, be prepared for a shave. Too much body hair in an area of treatment will prove resistant to acupuncture, so the doctor may either smooth the hairs with oil, or simply shave off patches of hair.

Illnesses that haci can be used to treat

Haci is useful for chronic diseases related to blood circulation including high blood pressure. It is also useful for conditions affecting the internal secretion system, the nervous system, and the reproductive system, as well as respiratory and gynaecological diseases and other internal or external pains.