To begin with, Acupuncture is not especially painful. The needles used in Acupuncture are very thin, very sharp and they are inserted quickly. I would compare the needle insertion sensation with the feeling of having a single eyebrow or earlobe hair plucked. Those who have stray hairs will understand this.

There are several kinds of "painless" Acupuncture, however. The first one is not Acupuncture at all, it is Acupressure.

Acupressure is pressure exerted on the Acupoints, instead of piercing these with a needle. Quite often the Acupressure doctor will use some sort of pointed tool which is not quite sharp enough to pierce the skin. I think this is far from "painless" myself, but it is called "painless'.

Another kind of "painless" Acupuncture is laser Acupuncture. The patient feels nothing, yet the treatment is supposed to be effective. This is relatively new and all the details have yet to be sorted out. I would invest in the equipment if the science were more mature and if enough patients were interested in using it.

A third kind of "painless" Acupuncture is Auriculotherapy. In Auriculotherapy small hard seeds or pellets are fastened to your outer ears at some of the ear Acupuncture points and held on with bits of tape.

For the next day or so after the Auriculotherapy seeds or pellets are in place you are supposed to press these seeds or pellets into your ears through the tape. Since you are providing the pressure yourself, you would not press hard enough to hurt yourself.

There! Three kinds of "painless" Acupuncture. I also offer regular Acupuncture, the kind that feels like having a single hair plucked.