The problem, as Mr. Salzberg will be quick to point out, is that those studies concluded it did not matter where needles were placed or even when toothpicks were used (as in the U.S. study).

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She uses tack needles--not quite a quarter-inch long--for fine lines, and removes them with tweezers.

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In the five years since its publication, implementation has accelerated, led largely, as it proposed, by private-sector innovation and often stimulated by the institute's " institutional acupuncture": figuring out where the business logic is congested and not flowing properly, and then sticking needles into sensitive sites to get it flowing.

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Until more stringent studies document what effects acupuncture might have on the sneezing and sniffling of allergies, however, you may not know for sure whether those sessions under the needles are likely to do you any good.

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Skin that has hardened, sometimes to the point where needles can't penetrate it, will not reverse itself, either.

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It did not help that the trainer, who was, I think, aptly described as a weasel, had actually saved needles and used bandages, whatever else paraphernalia he used over the years.

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