Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical procedures in the world. The practice originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, and is widely used by doctors in Korea, China, Japan, and other countries to ease pain or various symptoms. In the past two decades, acupuncture has grown in popularity in the United States, and by 2002, an estimated 8.2 million adults in the US report having used acupuncture.