The centre, run by Indian Academy of Acupuncture Science, has branches at Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Aurangabad and Pune. Leader of opposition in Pune Municipal Corporation Vikas Mathkari was the chief guest of the function held at Hotel Aurora Towers, recently.

Mathkari, in his inaugural lecture said that if the Pune Municipal Corporation popularises and utilises acupressure - a drugless therapy, it can save crores of rupees being spent on health and that money can be utilised for other development plans of Pune city. He appealed to Dr.Lohiya to co-operate the corporation in this regard. Dr Lohiya promised the same and donated his books on "Acupressure- self treatment," for the library of the civic body.

Dr Lohiya, during his lecture, said that acupuncture and acupressure are drugless therapies. "Vital energy, known as Qi in Chinese, flows through twelve paired meridians, in a cyclical fashion. These meridians are further grouped into five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Diseases are caused by imbalance between the two aspects of Qi, called as Yin & Yang or due to dis-ease between the five elements. Seasonal changes in weather, excess of pathogenic factors, emotional factors (anger, worry, grief, melancholy, fear, fright, joy), lack of immunity and disturbed homeostatic mechanism do affect the five elements and flow of Qi thereby resulting into a disease. Tiny needles are inserted at the Acupuncture points to remove the blocks in the flow of Qi. Acupuncture can also correct the imbalance between Yin & Yang and the cycles of the five elements. It can increase the immunity and correct the Homeostatic mechanism.