ABSTRACT
Acupuncture is the alter ego of herbal prescribing. At one time in China, due to political infighting, acupuncture was only allowed as an adjunct to herbal therapy, and the selection of acupuncture points had to mimic herbal patterns of prescribing. This is still true to a certain extent in Chinese acupuncture and this adherence to herbal pattern points makes Chinese acupuncture somewhat less useful than French energetic acupuncture or Japanese acupuncture, which are both energetic systems in their own right. Certainly, you may practice either herbal medicine or acupuncture alone, but you must use both to get a truly comprehensive response over time at both a superficial and deeper level.
