Acupuncture

A Short History of Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been used in the Far East to restore, promote and maintain good health for over 2,500 years. The first needles were made from stone, and then later from bronze, gold and silver. The first medical account of acupuncture was The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine which dates from about 300 BC.

Acupuncture is rooted in the Daoist philosophy of change, growth, balance and harmony, and The Yellow Emperor's Classic outlines the principles of natural law and the movements of life - yin and yang, the five elements, the organ system and the meridian network along which acupuncture points are located. These records also contain details of pathology and physiology which some 2,000 years later provide the theoretical foundation for acupuncture today. Acupuncture practice has gradually developed and been refined by masters such as the famous Chinese herbalist Li Shi Zen who, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), published his fifty-volume Compendium of Materia Medica, as well as a study of the Pulse and the Extraordinary Meridians.

Acupuncture experienced a great resurgence of interest in China after the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. Although it had always remained popular in rural communities, there had been a considerable move towards western ideas and medicine from the eighteenth century onwards. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) the value of traditional Chinese medicine was once again officially recognised and it was given new opportunities to develop. Today acupuncture is used far more extensively in China than in the West in a hospital-based system with facilities for treating acute as well as chronic cases. The national policy is to pursue both systems side by side, with extensive clinical research being undertaken to establish best practice.

Acupuncture was not the subject of serious study in Britain until the late 1950s. Links were made either through Europe, to where many Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese master practitioners had moved, or through direct contact with teachers and schools in Taiwan, Korea and elsewhere. The early students of acupuncture were often those already practising natural medicines - osteopaths, homeopaths and naturopaths. For many of them traditional Chinese medicine seemed to recognise and formalise many of the concepts they had uncovered through their own experience as practitioners.

There has been a steady increase in the number of professionally trained acupuncturists in the UK, from just a handful of qualified practitioners in the 1970s to over 2,800 registered with the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) in 2007.

What does an acupuncturist do?

In addition to asking questions, the acupuncturist may want to take your pulse at several points along the wrist and look at the shape, color, and coating of your tongue. The acupuncturist may also look at the color and texture of your skin, your posture, and other physical characteristics that offer clues to your health. You will lie down on a padded examining table, and the acupuncturist will insert the needles, twirling or gently jiggling each as it goes in. You may not feel the needles at all, or you may feel a twitch or a quick twinge of pain that disappears when the needle is completely inserted. Once the needles are all in place, you rest for 15 to 20 minutes. During this time, you'll probably feel relaxed and sleepy and may even doze off. At the end of the session, the acupuncturist quickly and painlessly removes the needles.

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