Acupuncture originated in China between two and a half and five thousand years ago. (One theory of it's origins states that acupuncture resulted from observations of warriors, wounded by arrows in warfare, where pre-injury ailments had vanished)

The procedure involved inserting thin slivers of  stone/bamboo/metal needles into the body. A  number of different points would generally be used. The  acupuncturist would rapidly rotate/twirl the sliver back  and forth for some time then move on to another point.  This cycle would be repeated many times for up to 30  minutes. Sometimes the movement would be up and down  rather than twirly . At times the sliver would be left  alone. The early acupuncturists discovered a number of points  occurring in sequence up or down the body that could be  used to treat certain conditions and/or organ diseases.  They named these lines connecting similar points, MERIDIANS (many of the recent acupuncture texts have  interpreted the original words, jingluo, as  CHANNELS). There are over a thousand acupoints within the meridian system..

Strict attention would be paid to attaining Qi (or  CHI) - a numb/heavy feeling around the acupuncture  sliver/needle
The Chinese believed that Qi or Chi was the vital energy  of the body and that Qi was flowing when this numb heavy  sensation occurred. A generalised feeling of relaxation,  well being and (if pain was present) pain relief would  follow either during the treatment or some hours later  and could continue for hours to days to weeks.

Acupuncture is also used to improve well-being and to treat acute, chronic, and degenerative conditions.

Acupuncture was introduced into the West in the 1970's.