During an acupuncture treatment at IHCA, an initial consultation gives the practitioner a good indication of what is happening inside the body. Classically, in clinical practice, acupuncture is highly individualized and based on philosophy and intuition, and not on controlled scientific research in the United States, acupuncture typically lasts from 10 to 60 minutes, with diagnosis and treatment for a single session.

Acupoints used in treatment may or may not be in the same area of the body as the targeted symptom. The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory for the selection of such points and their effectiveness is that they work by stimulating the meridian system to bring about relief by re-balancing yin, yang and qi  (also spelled "chi" or "ki"). This theory is based on the paradigm of TCM and has no analogue in western medicine.

Body acupoints are generally located using a measurement unit, called the cun that is calibrated according to their proportional distances from various landmark points on the body. Acupoint location usually depends on specific anatomical landmarks that can be palpated^. Many of these basic points are rarely used. Some points are considered more therapeutically valuable than others, and are used very frequently for a wide array of health conditions.

Points tend to be located where peripheral nerves enter a muscle, the midpoint of the muscle, or at the enthesis where the muscle joins with the bone. Location by palpation for tenderness is also a common way of locating acupoints. Points may also be located by feeling for subtle differences in temperature on the skin surface or over the skin surface, as well as changes in the tension or "stickiness" of the skin and tissue. There is no scientific proof that this method works and some practitioners disagree with the method.

Body acupoints are referred to either by their traditional name, or by the name of the meridian on which they are located, followed by a number to indicate what order the point is in on the meridian. A common point on the hand, for example, is named Hegu, and referred to as LI 4 which means that it is the fourth point on the Large Intestine meridian.

Acupuncture points often have allusive, poetic names that developed over the course of centuries, often involving synonyms to ensure similar points are located on the appropriate limb. A total of 360 points are generally recognized, but the number of points has changed over the centuries. Roughly 2/3 of the points are considered "yang", while the remaining 1/3 are considered "yin".