Acupuncture Acupuncture (from Lat. acus, "needle", and pungere, "to prick") or in Standard Mandarin, 針砭 (zhēn biān) (a related word, 針灸 (zhēn jiǔ), refers to acupuncture together with moxibustion)ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary edited by John DeFrancis, as used in Wenlin version 3. Acupuncture
Alternative medicine The term alternative medicine, as used in the modern western world, encompasses any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." Commonly cited examplesDefinition of Complementary medicine, MedicineNet. Alternative_medicine
Medical acupuncture Medical acupuncture is acupuncture performed by a doctor or licensed health care professional who has training in the medical/health sciences who has also had training in acupuncture. Such a doctor or health professional may use one or the other approach, or a combination of both, to treat an dysfunction or illness. Medical_acupuncture