Brief history of the development of Acupuncture
According to Hwang Ti Nei Jing, a book written in about 700 BC, the Chinese of the Stone Age discovered that by warming the body using sands and stones, they could alleviate abdominal and joint pains. This was said to be the origin of moxibustion. “Zhen Shih”(Stone Needles) were found in many parts of China. These are needles which are different from sewing needles because they were found together with other medical instruments at archaeological sites. Thus, Acupuncture presumably existed and has been practiced since the New Stone Age.
No document has ever been uncovered that indicates exactly how Acupuncture was used therapeutically
in the beginning, but we can surmise from archeological discoveries and ancient historical documents
that many of the current practices are still similar to the early techniques. Human beings improve
techniques over time, and acupuncture is no exception. In the beginning, the needles were made of stone.
Today they are made of gold, silver, or stainless steel (sterilized and disposable).
The practice of acupuncture, over the last few thousand years, has spread geographically from China to other surrounding countries. For example, during the Tang Dynasty (about 400AC), acupuncture was brought to Japan, and has flourished there since that time. Acupuncture has spread to other countries through out the world including Europe where its presence has been known for three hundred years. It has been present in the United States formerly for the last twenty to thirty years, although many records have revealed that acupuncturists and herbalists came to the Western Unites States when the Chinese first immigrated here to work on the railroads in the 1900’s.
With our modern technical facility, Acupuncture and moxibusiton has evolved into another stage and has evolved and used now with other techniques such as infra-red, ultra-sound or laser acupuncture. Much research into the function and mechanism of acupuncture therapy has been done. Now there is a new medical field emerging primarily in Europe and Asia. It employs some of the techniques of Acupuncture, homeopathy and electro acupuncture devices. It is called Bioenergetic medicine. This field is promising in that the protocol for the effective combination of these therapies is finally under serious consideration.