Historical Pin Pricks: The Tradition of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an alternative form of medicine involving therapeutic insertions of needles. This practice began in China and has been traced back to civilizations over 8000 years old. It soon spread throughout Asia, mainly to Japan and Korea, and is still a staple medical treatment there today. However, recently, acupuncture is being recognized as a legitimate form of medicine in the Western World. As more and more doctors are recommending acupuncture to work alongside traditional medical treatment, it is important to understand this tradition.
Traditionally, the Chinese saw the body as a whole with several different working energy systems, run by the organs of our bodies. Disease was seen as the loss of regulation between systems or with one particular system. The vital energy that runs through our bodies is known in acupuncture as “qi” and is what acupuncturists seek to heal through their work. Qi (the energy flow) is blocked by pain, and acupuncture was said to once again unblock it. Historically, the maxim of acupuncturists was “no pain, no blockage; no blockage, no pain.”
Major success of reception into society was first found with acupuncture during the Huang Di (The Yellow Emperor) Dynasty. During his time as ruler, he discussed the medical traditions of China with his physician. These dialogues became part of what we now know as The Nei Jing, and it is the earliest medical text found in Asia. It includes two sections-the first on anatomy, disease, diagnosis, and the cosmos and the second on the aspects of acupuncture. Great development in the acupuncture field was also seen in the 7th century AD, with the Sui and Tang Dynasties. At this time, the acupuncture charts and texts of the past were revised and schools to teach this form of medicine appeared. The techniques were slowly refined, and during the Ming Dynasty, in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, doctors again made leaps and bounds in the field. However, it became less important with the introduction of Western medicine in the early 1900s.
The tradition still prevailed, especially in rural areas, and in the 1950s there was a revival movement to bring acupuncture again to light with doctors and other medical professionals. In the 1950s and 1960s, the practice began to be researched highly, not only in Asia, but also throughout the world. As we entered the new millenium, acupuncture began to be accepted by Western medical practitioners as a valid form of treatment. Today, many have concluded that the techniques work, at least in some aspect. Others are still wary of the idea that pricks by needles can cure you of disease. Whatever the case, acupuncture is a treatment you should consider in conjunction with traditional forms of medicine.
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