History of Modern Acupuncture Research in China -- Neuroanatomic Basis of Acupuncture Points -- Neural Transmission of Acupuncture Signal -- Acupuncture-Induced Activation of Endogenous Opioid System -- Effect of Acupuncture on Neurotransmitters/Modulators -- Acupuncture-Drug Balanced Anesthesia -- Acupuncture Analgesia in Clinical Practice -- Neurochemical Basis of Electroacupuncture Analgesia on Acute and Chronic Pain -- Acupuncture Therapy for Stroke -- Effects of Acupuncture on Arrhythmia and Other Cardiac Diseases -- Acupuncture Therapy for Hypertension and Hypotension -- Effect of Acupuncture on Epilepsy -- Neuroimmuno-effect of Acupuncture on Immunemediated Disorders -- Acupuncture Treatment for Female Infertility -- Acupuncture Therapy for Menopausal and Perimenopausal Syndrome -- Acupuncture for Smoking Cessation -- Beneficial Effect of Acupuncture on Depression -- Effect of Acupuncture on Drug Addiction.

Acupuncture therapy has been practiced in China and other Asian countries for more than two thousand years. Modern clinical research has confirmed the impressive therapeutic effect of acupuncture on numerous human ailments, such as controlling pain, nausea, and vomiting. However, the biological mechanisms of acupuncture are still under debate. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the mechanism of acupuncture therapy is explained by a meridian model. According to this model, acupuncture is believed to treat the diseased organs by modulating two conditions known as Yin and Yang, which represent all the opposite principles that people find in the universe, both inside and outside the human body. Yin and Yang complement each other, and are subjected to changes between each other. The balance of Yin and Yang is thought to be maintained by Qi, an energy substance flowing constantly through the meridian, a network connecting all the organs of the body. The illness, according to this theory, is the temporary dominance of one principle over the other, owing to the blockade of the Qi from flowing through the meridian under certain circumstance. The axiom of “No stagnation, No pain” in TCM summarizes this concept. Thus, the goal of acupuncture treatment is to restore the balance of Yin and Yang conditions in the diseased organ(s). This theory has been considered to be useful to guide this ancient therapy, such as carrying out diagnosis, deciding on the principle, and selecting the acupoints.