Seven years ago, Margerie White had such severe back pain that she was forced to rely on a cane, limit her activity and often remain hunched over. Her doctors told her that she would need back surgery to get back to her former self. Back surgery was not something White was willing to do at her age. Instead she decided to look into alternative medicine.

"When you are not in a lot of pain you feel better all over," White said. "I have had acupuncture for my legs, headaches, balance problems and my heart. It has helped me in all these ways -- even my blood pressure has dropped."

According to George Chao, the manager at the China Acupuncture Clinic, the basic philosophy of acupuncture is to treat the entire patient, not just the part that is experiencing pain.

"If you have back pain, that pain is the result of the problem not the source," Chao said. "You have to find the source of the bigger problem to find the solution. The outcome of Chinese and Western medicine are the same, it is the approach that is different."

The process of acupuncture is safe and generally painless. Very thin needles are inserted into the skin at very specific points in order to stimulate the flow of the body's natural energy or Qi. The idea is to ensure that there is not a blockage of energy to the vital points. Traditional Chinese philosophy states that a blockage of the Qi would result in pain. Therefore by stimulating the flow of energy through the body you can alleviate the resulting pain.

Dr. Ming De Yu is the acupuncturist at the China Acupuncture Clinic. She doesn't speak English and mostly communicates via the help of Chao. But she is trained in both traditional medicine and in acupuncture; as such she understands that not everything can be cured with acupuncture. It is clear that alternative medicine cannot set a broken leg or cure leukemia.

"I think it is also a cultural experience for us," says White's daughter, Darlene Erni, who accompanies her to the appointments. "We have enjoyed the culture as much as the acupuncture."

Chinese medicine is not an instant fix. As an alternative to surgery, acupuncture requires much more dedication to the process of healing. Furthermore, each patient needs to be approached differently. The placement of the needles and number of treatments needed will vary from patient to patient, even if they have similar problems.

"At first we came two or three times a week," White said. "Now we try to come twice a month, but sometimes we only make it once. I was able to stop using my cane before my 20th treatment."

That much acupuncture isn't cheap, especially since most insurance companies won't pay for alternative medicines. But for White it was worth the cost to have her health and avoid the risks of surgery.

"Your health is expensive," White said. "I don't want to be in a nursing home. I don't like nursing homes. So I would rather spend my money on acupuncture."