The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners currently accept acupuncture as a valid treatment modality........What is Acupuncture? The basis behind acupuncture is balancing the body.  Qi is the vital life force or energy that runs along meridians, or channels throughout the body.  In Chinese medicine, an imbalance of yin and yang leads to pain or illness.  The imbalance is essentially blocking the flow of Qi. Stress, trauma, and an endless list of environmental factors can cause imbalance in any living thing.