Acupuncture a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientific knowledge , and it has been characterized as quackery There is a range of acupuncture variants which originated in different philosophies, and techniques vary depending on the country in which it is performed, but can be divided into two main foundational philosophical applications and approaches, the first being the modern standardized form called eight principle TCM and the second an older system that is based on the ancient diagnosis better known as the five elements or phases in elements .