When you hear the word "acupuncture," your mind may immediately jump to notions of dark rooms, zither music and burning incense. From there it's an easy jump to the horrific mental picture of needles being jammed into your flesh...maybe lots of needles.

OK, now that you're scared half-silly, clear your mind of those stereotypes. Acupuncture, used in the Orient since at least the time of Christ, is an increasingly commonplace medical treatment in the United States and in Europe.

Another myth buster: It doesn't hurt. During most treatments you don't feel anything at all, and generally the most discomfort you may feel is a quick twinge that goes away immediately. The most common side effect reported is occasional light bruising on an area that was treated.

Though mainly practiced in the Orient, visiting Jesuit Monks brought some of the texts and theories back to France in the early 1600s. Interest flared in Europe for a brief time in the early 1800s, and William Osler, M.D., long considered to be the father of modern medicine, described acupuncture to be an effective treatment for sciatic nerve irritation in his famous 1892 textbook.

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