Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), such as acupuncture, is gaining ground among Western cultures, as the diabetes epidemic is quickly becoming the predominant Western health care concern. In most cases, acupuncture treats the complications of diabetes, such as poor circulation and nerve damage, but may have very little effect in actually delaying the onset of diabetes.

Acupuncture is most often used in conjunction with diabetes treatments to improve blood circulation. Improving blood circulation has a host of positive effects on the body and can help reduce many common diabetes complications, including nerve damage,foot problems, vision problems and leg pain.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical practice that involves inserting very thin needles (now stimulated with an electrical charge) that are 4-25 mm in length into specific areas of the body. The areas of the body are believed to correspond with certain health conditions and bodily functions. There are over 500 acupuncture points alone for the pancreas, including points on the ears. As such, acupuncture specialists spend many years perfecting and studying the ancient craft.

The is a report from the Internet Journal of the Institute for Traditional Medicine and Preventative Health Care” at the following URL that describes how traditional Chinese approaches are used to treat diabetes : http://www.itmonline.org/journal/arts/diabetes.htm