[Treatment of certain painful conditions by passing long thin needles through the skin to specific points, resulting in regional anesthesia. The free ends of the needles are twirled or in some cases used to conduct a weak electric current. Anesthesia sufficient to permit abdominal, thoracic, and head and neck surgery has been produced by the use of acupuncture alone. The patient is fully conscious during the surgery. Acupuncture has been known in the Far East for centuries but received little attention in Western cultures until the early 1970s. (Taber's) ( NCI )]
UMLS (NCI) C0394664 - Therapeutic or Preventive Procedure