MODEL RELEASED. Acupuncture. Acupuncturist placing needles into a woman's face. She is treating the congestion caused by a common cold or hay fever (allergic rhinitis). Acupuncture has been used in Eastern medicine for thousands of years. It involves inserting needles into the body along energy lines known as meridians. In Western medicine it is thought that the needles stimulate the production of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.