A Brief Summary Of The History of Chinese Medicine
The practice of acupuncture is an ancient, holistic healing method that originated in China. The first references to the practice come from a collection of ancient medical texts or the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine. Acupuncture is rooted in Chinese philosophy and medicine and has been practiced for thousands of years.
Today, it is one of the main types of acupuncture treatments for pain relief and preventative treatment for a wide variety of diseases, ailments and debilitating conditions. The first known acupuncture procedures were described in second century BC writings. Veterinary acupuncture was developed in the 4th Century BC!
Acupuncture History
Chinese medicine has been practiced for thousands of years and is used for many different things, such as healing, curing diseases, and preventing ones. It is also used for cosmetic reasons such as beauty or medical reasons such as to shrink a tumor. The history of acupuncture is both very interesting and very old!
During the Shang Dynasty, acupuncture became a more widely accepted medical practice in China. At that point, birds and animals were used for practice. In addition to these animals, they also used humans for this treatment. The tendency of animal bones to heal quicker and their use in medicine are major factors in acupuncture. The Chinese used acupuncture for healing and other reasons, such as body discipline. In ancient times, they used medicinal herbs to remedy pain and illness, which is why more than half of the needles were composed of these herbs. They also used swords, drills, and arrows during the Shang Dynasty. The ancient Chinese also used surgical tools such as saws, chisels, and adhesives. Drilling was used to removing other parts of the body as well. The Zhou Dynasty is where you get the most information, as that is when written documents were kept and read. During this era, acupuncture needles were made of bone or stone or by cutting a bird's bone along with a tool to make the needle.
Uses of Acupuncture
Chinese medicine was practiced in many ways, such as healing, curing disease, and regulating vital functions. One of the main reasons it was used in early China is that they did not have much medical knowledge regarding surgery. Because of this, it was used as a substitute for surgery until they could figure out another way to eliminate sickness without using metal tools, along the lines of Western medicine-aligned surgical procedures.
Doctoring with acupuncture techniques involved using sharp objects to remove objects from body cavities or draw blood for examination. These people were considered both highly skilled and dangerous. Acupuncturists also used a technique called visceral acupuncture, where they would remove a diseased part of the body by gently inserting acupuncture needles into the patient's muscles to achieve the desired effect.
Modern-Day Acupuncture
Becoming a licensed, certified, professional acupuncturist is a process that takes several years of training and studying to master plus many more years in the field perfecting their craft. When an acupuncturist prepares for an acupuncture session, they have to consider the patient's position, physical strength and what types of weaknesses, soreness and/or injuries they might have. Be sure to choose a licensed, experienced acupuncturist for your next acupuncture session or if you are interested in becoming an acupuncturist, then check out the National Certification Commission For Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine's website for more information!