Chinese acupuncture is finally getting under the skin of dieters by tapping into the body's many hidden energy meridians. The ancient practice of acupuncture helps to heal a host of ailments, and practitioners of Western medicine now embrace it to quell chronic pain, postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting, high blood pressure, addictions and weight loss. When fine needles are barely inserted into the skin along strategic points on the body it can restore balance to the flow of energy along rivers of Qi (pronounced chee), or life force.

Jeanne Atkin, who performs acupuncture and prescribes herbal remedies at Pinehurst Healing Arts in Northern Manhattan, has worked wonders with my body. The office, on the gentrified northern slopes of Washington Heights, is immaculate and immediately soothing. After I let her stick needles in me and I took my herbs like a good patient, my chronic cough, my urgent bladder cleared up and my lower back stopped hurting within days. After a few sessions, my lipedema (a chronic swelling in my legs) had gotten noticeably better.