Acupuncture: A History
To many people living in the Western world, acupuncture is still a bit of a mystery, even if it’s almost a household word. Most people are familiar that it’s “ancient Chinese medicine” involving needles, but they don’t know much beyond that.
Just how ancient is acupuncture? It’s a bit of a mystery in itself. Some sources say the practice is over 2,000 years old, while others say it is much older than that—perhaps even predating recorded history. That depends in large measure how they define the beginning of acupuncture—whether they consider acupuncture’s beginnings with the introduction of needles, with bian stones or with the formulation of the Yin/Yang energy philosophy.
The Yin/Yang philosophy is detailed in the “I-Ching” book, which influenced all books on Chinese medicine for centuries after. However, the oldest book on Chinese medicine is the Nei Jing, which translates to “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine,” or “Canon of Internal Medicine” and was compiled around 305-204 B.C. Based on conversations between the emperor Huang Di and his physicians Qi Bo and Lei Gong, it was organized into two parts—one detailing disease and the necessity of living in harmony with nature, another describing acupuncture and the “nine needles” which were used.
It was around that time, in fact, that acupuncture needles replaced pointed bian stones, which are beautifully carved and polished and can — at first glance — resemble arrowheads. However, before metal needles were in prominent use, Chinese healers began fashioning needles from bone, which could be used for sewing and acupuncture.
A few hundred years later, from 260-265 A.D., a famous physician named Huang Fu Mi wrote the Systematic Texts of Acupuncture and Moxibustion. Over several centuries, the practice of acupuncture thrived as healers learned more and revised their texts. Healers refined their techniques during the Ming Dynasty, which lasted from 1568-1644.
After this boom, however, a dark age fell over the Chinese healing community as the use of acupuncture was suppressed during the Qing Dynasty, from 1644-1840, and again following the Revolution of 1911. It was during this period that Western medical practices were introduced, leaving acupuncture to be practiced as folk medicine by the poor.
But because acupuncture kept the Chinese army going during the Long March in 1934-35, Chairman Mao Zedong became a fan of the practice and saw that it remained in use as part of Chinese medicine. In 1950 he officially united traditional Chinese and Western medicine.
In 1968, in an excavated Han Dynasty tomb, explorers found a set of nine needles matching the configuration described in the Canon of Internal Medicine. These are the ancestors of today’s acupuncture needles, two of which are still in common usage.
In 1971, New York Times reporter James Reston wrote a piece on how acupuncturists relieved his pain after surgery. Since then, it has become more and more a part of alternative medicine in the West. In the late ’90s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reclassified acupuncture needles as medical instruments.
Although there is some controversy concerning acupuncture’s effectiveness and safety, it is up to the individual to delve into it independently and decide whether this treatment is right for him or her. As with every procedure, you may maintain safety by making sure you choose a licensed practitioner and by realizing both the benefits and limitations of the practice.
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Tags: acupuncture, alternative medicine, cure, medical, Medicine