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Everything You Want To Know About Acupuncture

 Acupuncture and moxibustion is the combined name for both acupuncture and moxibustion. Acupuncture is the practice of stabbing a moxa needle into a patient's body at certain points, using twisting and thrusting techniques to treat the disease. Moxibustion is applying burning moxa to the skin at certain acupuncture points, using heat stimulation to treat disease. Acupuncture is an important part of Chinese medicine, including acupuncture theory, acupuncture points, acupuncture techniques and related instruments. It has distinctive Chinese cultural and regional characteristics in its formation, application and development.



Acupuncture is a uniquely Chinese means of treating disease. It is a treatment method that "treats the inside from the outside". It is used to treat diseases of the whole body through meridians, acupoints and the application of certain techniques. In clinical practice, TCM diagnoses the cause of the disease, identifies the key to the disease, identifies the nature of the disease, determines which meridian and which internal organs the lesion belongs to, identifies which type of disease it belongs to, and makes a diagnosis of epithelial, hot and cold, deficiency and actuality. Then the corresponding prescription of acupuncture points is made and treatment is administered. The aim is to open up the meridians, regulate the qi and blood, bring yin and yang into relative balance, and harmonise the functions of the internal organs, thus achieving the goal of preventing and treating diseases. Acupuncture and moxibustion are part of Chinese medicine's heritage and is a unique national medical method in China. For thousands of years, it has made a remarkable contribution to the defence of health and the reproduction of the nation, and to this day, it still takes on this task and is trusted by the general public.  


History of Acupuncture

Acupuncture has a long history in China. According to legend, acupuncture was invented by Fuxi during the reign of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, who "tasted a hundred medicines and made nine needles" (recorded in the Century of the Emperors by the Eastern Han dynasty medical scholar Huang Fu Qu). According to the ancient texts Shanhaijing and Neijing, there is a record of the use of a "stone turkey" to pierce canker sores, as well as the saying in the Bonzi: "When you have been ill for seven years, seek three years of moxa". "The origins of acupuncture are to be found in the Stone Age. The earliest needle tools: acupuncture stones were also born, and with the development of ancient wisdom and social productivity, the needles gradually developed into bronze needles, iron needles, gold needles, silver needles, until the stainless steel needles used now. According to legend, Fuxi, the founder of Chinese civilisation, was the inventor of acupuncture in Chinese medicine. Fuxi not only drew the eight trigrams, knotted the rope as a net and taught the people to hunt, but also "tasted a hundred medicines and made nine needles" (recorded by Huangfu Qui in the Eastern Han Dynasty in The Century of Emperors and Kings) and "tasted herbs and made acupuncture" (recorded by Luo Ju in the Southern Song Dynasty in The History of the Road). Acupuncture is the stone, i.e. the earliest acupuncture of the Chinese nation. The origin of moxibustion is closely related to the discovery and use of moxibustion, when the body has some kind of discomfort, used to bake to be able to alleviate, and then use a variety of branches as a tool to apply moxibustion, gradually developed to moxibustion.


In 1973, a medical silk book unearthed at Mawangdui Tomb No. 3 in Changsha included the "Moxibustion Classic of the Eleven Veins of the Foot and Arm" and the "Moxibustion Classic of the Eleven Veins of Yin and Yang", which discussed the distribution of the eleven veins, the manifestations of diseases and the treatment of moxibustion, forming a complete meridian system. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine is the earliest and most complete of the extant classical works on Chinese medicine and has formed a complete system of meridians and channels, namely the twelve meridians, fifteen channels, twelve tendons and twelve other channels, as well as the specimens, root knots, qi streets and four seas associated with the meridian system. The Ling Shu Jing is the first summary of acupuncture and moxibustion scholarship, and its main contents are still the core content of acupuncture and moxibustion, so the Ling Shu Jing is called the Jing of Needles. Following the Nei Jing, the doctrine of acupuncture and moxibustion was supplemented and refined by the Nang Jing, written by the divine physician Bian Magi during the Warring States period.


The Jin dynasty medical practitioner Huang Fu Qu studied the Nei Jing and other works with great dedication and wrote the Book of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, which comprehensively discussed the doctrine of the internal organs and meridians. Developed and identified 349 acupuncture points, discussed their location, main treatment and operation, and introduced acupuncture methods and the treatment of common diseases, and was the second summary of acupuncture and moxibustion scholarship.


During the Tang and Song dynasties, as economic and cultural prosperity grew, so did acupuncture and moxibustion. With the Tang dynasty medical practitioner Sun Simiao drawing a colourful 'three-person diagram of the Ming Tang' in his book 'The Essential Formula of the Thousand Jewels', and proposing the method and application of the A-Yi point. In the Song Dynasty, the famous acupuncturist Wang Weiyi compiled the "Acupuncture and Moxibustion Chart of Bronze Men", which examined 354 acupuncture points and carved the entire book on a stone tablet for learners to copy and print. He also cast two bronze mannequins, with meridians and acupuncture points engraved on the outside and internal organs built-in, as visual aids for teaching acupuncture and moxibustion and for examining acupuncturists, promoting the development of academic acupuncture.


In the Yuan dynasty, the "Fourteen Meridians in Play" by Sli Bo Ren was the first time that the twelve meridians and the Ren and Dou meridians were combined into fourteen meridians, which was very useful for later studies.


The Ming Dynasty was the heyday of the academic development of acupuncture and moxibustion, with many famous doctors and acupuncture theories gradually deepening. A large number of monographs on acupuncture and moxibustion appeared, such as "The Complete Book of Acupuncture and Moxibustion", "Acupuncture and Moxibustion Juying". "Four Books on Acupuncture and Moxibustion", especially "Acupuncture and Moxibustion Dacheng" by Yang Jizhou, which brought together the acupuncture and moxibustion works before the Ming Dynasty, summarising clinical experience and rich content, and was an important reference book for later generations to learn acupuncture and moxibustion.


From the early Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, acupuncture and moxibustion medicine gradually went from prosperity to recession. In 1742, Wu Qian and others wrote "The Golden Book of Medicine", whose "The Golden Book of Medicine. The "Essentials of Acupuncture and Moxibustion" not only inherited the essence of acupuncture and moxibustion from previous generations but also carried it forward, with songs and diagrams throughout. In the late Qing Dynasty, the feudal rulers, led by the Daoguang Emperor, banned the use of acupuncture and moxibustion in the Imperial Hospital for the absurd reason that "acupuncture and fire are not appropriate for the ruler", and after the Opium War in 1840, the imperialists entered China. The rulers at that time tried to discriminate against and eliminate Chinese medicine, which further destroyed acupuncture. Despite this, acupuncture was still widely practised in China because of its popularity. In 1822, the famous acupuncturist Li Xuechuan wrote "Acupuncture and Moxibustion: The Origin of Acupuncture", which emphasised the importance of identifying acupuncture points, acupuncture and medicine, and a complete list of 361 meridian points, which are still used in today's acupuncture textbooks. During the Republican era, the government ordered the abolition of Chinese medicine, but many acupuncturists set up acupuncture societies, published acupuncture books and journals, and conducted correspondence education on acupuncture in order to preserve and develop acupuncture as a treasure of Chinese medical culture. During this period, the revolutionary base under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party explicitly advocated the study and application of acupuncture and moxibustion in Western medicine, and the opening of an acupuncture clinic at the Baiqiu'en International Peace Hospital in Yan'an pioneered the formal introduction of acupuncture into general hospitals.


Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it has attached great importance to carrying forward the medical heritage of the motherland, and has formulated a policy on Chinese medicine. And taken a series of measures to develop the cause of Chinese medicine so that acupuncture and moxibustion medicine has been popularised and improved as never before. In the past 40 years, a large number of books on acupuncture and moxibustion have been printed, proofread and annotated on the basis of inheritance, and a large number of academic books on acupuncture and moxibustion have been published, combining the clinical experience and scientific achievements of modern doctors. In addition, the Chinese Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion was established, and academic exchanges were very active, and "acupuncture anaesthesia" was created on the basis of acupuncture analgesia. The research work of acupuncture is not only based on the compilation of literature but also on the systematic observation of its clinical efficacy, and the experimental research on the theory of meridians, the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia, the specificity of acupuncture points, the high-speed function of acupuncture and moxibustion, etc., combined with modern physiology, anatomy, histology, biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology, as well as the new technology of sound, light, electricity, magnetism and other marginal disciplines. Clinical practice has proven that acupuncture effectively treats a wide range of illnesses in internal, external, gynaecological, paediatric, orthopaedic, and five sensory disciplines.


Acupuncture is an ancient and magical science. As early as the 6th century AD, Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion began to spread to foreign countries. At present, more than 120 countries and regions in Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Latin America have applied acupuncture to treat their own people, and many countries have also established acupuncture academic groups, acupuncture educational institutions and research institutions. In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended 43 indications for acupuncture treatment, and in 1987, the World Federation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (WFA) was officially established in Beijing, establishing acupuncture as the world's leading medical science.


1 Diversion of the meridians


The function of unblocking the meridians and channels is to clear the blocked meridians and channels to play their normal physiological role. The meridians "belong to the internal organs and are externally connected to the limbs", and the flow of Qi and blood is one of their main physiological functions. When the meridians are blocked, the flow of Qi and blood is obstructed, resulting in clinical manifestations such as pain, numbness, swelling and ecchymosis. In acupuncture, acupuncture points are selected and acupuncture techniques and trigeminal needles are used to bleed the meridians so that the flow of qi and blood is normalised.


2 Reconciling Yin and Yang


The function of acupuncture is to reconcile yin and yang, which is the ultimate goal of acupuncture treatment, and transform the body from imbalance between yin and yang to a state of balance. The mechanism of disease is complex, but in general it can be summarised as an imbalance between yin and yang. The role of acupuncture in harmonising yin and yang is accomplished through yin and yang properties in meridians, the combination of meridian points and acupuncture techniques.


3 Helping to dispel evil


The function of acupuncture is to support the body's positive energy and to expel the evil. The process of disease development and regression is essentially the process of the struggle between positive and evil. Acupuncture and moxibustion are used to treat illnesses because they can help to dispel evil.   


Characteristics of Acupuncture Therapy

Acupuncture therapy is characterised by the use of needles in certain parts of the patient's body to stimulate the nerves, cause a local reaction, or cauterise the area with the warmth of fire to cure the disease. The former is called acupuncture and the latter is called moxibustion, collectively known as acupuncture therapy.


In clinical practice, acupuncture is used to diagnose the cause of the disease, identify the key to the disease, identify the nature of the disease, determine which meridian and which internal organs the lesion belongs to, identify which type of disease it belongs to, and make a diagnosis of epiphenomenon, cold and heat, deficiency and reality. Then the corresponding prescription of acupuncture points is made and treatment is administered. In order to open up the meridians, regulate qi and blood, bring yin and yang into relative balance, and harmonise the functions of the internal organs, thus achieving the purpose of preventing and treating diseases.


Acupuncture therapy has many advantages: firstly, it has a wide range of indications and can be used for the treatment and prevention of various diseases in the internal, external, gynaecological, paediatric and five sensory departments; secondly, it has a rapid and significant effect on the treatment of diseases, especially in terms of stimulating the body's functions, improving the ability to resist disease and sedation and analgesia; thirdly, it is simple and easy to operate; fourthly, it is economical in terms of medical costs; fifthly, it has no or very few side effects and is basically safe and reliable. It is basically safe and reliable, and can be used in conjunction with other therapies for comprehensive treatment. These are also the reasons why it has always been popular among the people.


In its long-term medical practice, acupuncture has developed the theory of meridians, which consists of the 14 meridians, the eight odd meridians, the 15 other meridians, the 12 meridians, the 12 tendons, the 12 dermatomes, the Sun Lo and the Floating Lo, as well as the 361 acupoints and the knowledge of acupoints and acupuncture points, such as the odd points outside the meridians, which are responsible for diseases, and has discovered the law of specific connections between specific parts of the body, creating the doctrine of meridians, and thus a system of methods for treating diseases.  


In its long-term medical practice, acupuncture has developed the theory of meridians, which consists of the 14 meridians, the eight odd meridians, the 15 other meridians, the 12 meridians, the 12 tendons, the 12 dermatomes, and the Sun and Floating meridians, as well as the knowledge of the 361 acupoints and acupuncture points that are responsible for diseases, such as the 361 acupuncture points and the extra-meridian odd points, and has discovered the laws of specific connections between specific parts of the body, creating the doctrine of meridians and thus a system of methods for treating diseases.


Due to the unique advantages of acupuncture therapy, its wide applicability, rapid and remarkable efficacy, easy and simple operation methods, economical medical costs and very few side effects, as far back as the Tang Dynasty, Chinese acupuncture has spread to Japan, Korea, India, Arabia and other countries and regions, and blossomed in other countries, multiplying some acupuncture medicine with exotic characteristics. Up to now, acupuncture has spread to more than one hundred and forty countries and regions in the world, playing a great role in safeguarding the life and health of all human beings.


Acupuncture and moxibustion is a scientific and cultural knowledge that has grown up in the specific natural and social environment of China over the ages, and contains the unique spirit, thinking and cultural essence of the Chinese nation, incorporating a large number of practical observations, knowledge systems and technical skills, coalescing the powerful vitality and creativity of the Chinese nation.


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