For many people, acupuncture remains a misunderstood medical therapy, often cloaked in myth and mystery. In the eyes of some, it has no real standing in Western medicine.

Despite the recent importance being placed on women's health issues , the fact that many women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other disabilities do not know how to obtain basic medical and emotional care often goes overlooked. Luckily, not by everyone.

In an effort to provide respectful, high-quality medical services for women with physical disabilities , the Initiative for Women with Disabilities ( IWD ) Elly and Steve Hammerman Health and Wellness Center is offering acupuncture and complementary therapies to its patients.

The sports world was skeptical when New York Knicks shooting guard Allan Houston announced that he was receiving sports acupuncture treatments for an ankle injury (a common sports injury ).

Then he started playing better, and doubt turned into a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

For the 4.5 million couples experiencing infertility each year, acupuncture may be just what the doctor ordered. Acupuncture can increase fertility by reducing stress, increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs and balancing the endocrine system, according to several studies and medical research.

Acupuncture consists of the gentle insertion and stimulation of thin, disposable sterile needles at strategic points near the surface of the body. Over 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body connect with 14 major pathways, called meridians. Chinese medicine practitioners believe that these meridians conduct qi , or energy, between the surface of the body and internal organs. It is qi that regulates spiritual, emotional, mental and physical balance. When the flow of qi is disrupted through poor health habits or other circumstances, pain and/or disease can result. Acupuncture helps to keep the normal flow of this energy unblocked, thereby increasing a couple's chances of conceiving.

Your throat is swollen, and your nose is itchy and runny.  Your eyes are teary, and you just sneezed on the person sitting next to you.  Spring has sprung and so have your allergies.

Millions of Americans share your agony, and a bout one person in 90 suffers from allergies. Treatments can produce harsh side effects that leave allergy sufferers less congested and itchy, but just as miserable.  Luckily, acupuncture and Oriental medicine provide effective alternatives that impose no discomforts such as sinus headache, fatigue and dryness of the nose and throat.

It hurts to get up in the morning. Climbing the stairs isn't as easy as it used to be. Every once in a while, you swear you can hear your joints popping or creaking. Your rings don't fit anymore. Your general mobility is limited, and worse, it's making you depressed. Why? You have arthritis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 70 million Americans have some form of arthritis, and it is the leading cause of disability among people 65 years or older. With no real cure, arthritis management usually consists of simply taking drugs to manage inflammation and pain . Yet many of the drugs prescribed for arthritis have unwanted side effects or don't effectively manage pain . Because of this, more and more patients are seeking a natural cure for arthritis such as acupuncture or herbs. For arthritis sufferers, any relief is welcome. Luckily, acupuncture is such an effective form.

At most hospitals and recovery centers, when a spinal cord injury ( SCI) patient regains motor function and/or the ability to walk, it is considered a miracle. At Project Walk , it's considered the expected result of hard work and dedication.

For licensed acupuncturists and Pacific College of Oriental Medicine graduates Mike Akong, Donna McAdams and Anna Michelle Casco, being a part of the process of spinal cord injury treatment that helps patients walk again is a miracle in itself.