Acupuncture in the People's Republic of China

Recent worldwide interest in acupuncture has been manifested. Although the rationale for its efficacy as an anesthetic agent is unknown, 25 to 35 percent of surgery in the People's Republic of China is performed under acupuncture anesthesia. The authors discuss the indications, advantages and disadvantages, and complications of acupuncture anesthesia and comment on current theories of the mechanism of its action.