高二英语精品同步课件：Unit SectionⅢ牛津译林版选修.ppt

and a needle like a small sword，used for letting liquid out of body parts which had swollen up.These needles could be made of different metals，such as gold and silver.Some acupuncturists today still use gold and silver needles，but the majority use only stainless steel ones.The main needle now used for acupuncture is fine and sharp.Most of the others have been replaced by more complex medical instruments.For example，the needle looking like a sword has been replaced by a sharp knife that doctors use in operations. Acupuncture uses stainless steel needles that are put into the skin at certain points on the body so that a disease can be cured or a health problem solved.These points are called acupuncture points. When acupuncture was first practised，there were 365 such points.The number of acupuncture points was the same as the number of days in a year.However，over the last 2,000 years，this number has gradually increased to about 2,000. Some acupuncturists insert needles at or near the body part affected by the disease，while others select points according to the symptoms that the patient has. If you go to an acupuncturist，he or she will ask you questions about your medical history and your way of life.The acupuncturist will look at the colour of your skin and your tongue， listen to your breathing，and check your pulses.Western medicine only recognizes one pulse which indicates the heartbeat. However，according to traditional Chinese medicine，there are twelve different pulses，six on each wrist，and every one of them is connected with a major body organ or its function.By checking all the pulses，the acupuncturist can find out which energy channel does not have enough energy. Some of the medical problems that can be treated by acupuncture include severe pains，headaches，injuries，stomach problems and high blood pressure.Some people have also used acupuncture to treat smokers， alcoholics and people who are addicted to drugs. How acupuncture reduces pain is not clear.One t