If you are just finding out about traditional Asian medicinal practices, such as acupuncture and acupressure, you are probably confused about what the differences are between the two types of procedures. After all, both styles of medicine are a far cry from surgery and medication centric treatments that you are likely accustomed to, so it is important to determine whether or not these alternative treatments are for you. And there is no better place to start when looking into acupressure and acupuncture than to find out what the differences are between the two types of treatments.The key difference between these two traditional types of treatments is the way that they are preformed. Acupuncture is designed to alleviate any bodily pain or suffering, or to simply elevate your mood to make you feel as though you are in a state of ecstasy. Like acupuncture, acupressure is designed to achieve the same goals, but without the use of one critical tool which has been linked to acupuncture for generations.  Needles.Instead of using needles which are inserted into special acupuncture points on a person's body, acupressure uses pressure points to alleviate pain and enhance the mood of the patient. There has been quite a bit of research done into the two different fields of alternative medicine, and both have been proven to be effective in many cases. However, as the studies are still fairly recent, much evidence has yet to be unearthed. That being said, there are quite a few positive studies that have conclusively shown that acupuncture, in particular, can be particularly useful for the treatment of nausea and chronic back pain, as well as various other soreness throughout the body. Like acupuncture, acupressure can also be used to treat the same conditions with similar results - and is likely a better choice for those who are afraid of needles.