Electroacupuncture has been widely used for treating varies of clinic conditions, including pain relief, by the practitioners in TCM in China since 1958. The only difference of electroacupuncture from traditional acupuncture is that, in electracupuncture, the electric pulses rather than a manual stimulation, are applied to the inserted acupuncture needles. A special device is used to generates the adjustable electric pulses with desired amplification and frequency patterns depended on the disease features and the patient’s conditions. The pulses were delivered by a fine wire connected to the needle with a small clip. Alternatively, electroacupuncture can be employed by using electrodes that are taped to the acupoints on the skin instead of being inserted with acupuncture needles. The procedure is especially appreciated by people who have a fear of needles or a condition that the needling is a contraindication (e.g., hemophilic or other bleeding tendency conditions).
