Acupuncture is a system of medicine in which hot needles are placed into a persons skin in order to calm their nerves and relieve stress or pain. It was first invented nearly 4,000 years ago and is still on large use today. First, people used sharp stones instead of the needles. As the years passed, the tools developed into narrow needles constructed out of bronze, silver or gold. Eventually, people learned the specific points to place each needle. They understood the different points and channels of the body. This idea of points and channels was first brought up in the Nei Ching Su, a book written about acupuncture. The book also mentioned that, wherever the pain is, that is the spot to be punctured. This was a very important piece of knowledge for later acupuncture work.
In around 562 the knowledge of acupuncture was spread to other countries. Some of these include Korea, Vietnam and Japan. The Japanese studied the methods carefully so they could learn to perfect them. In 702 the knowledge of acupuncture was spreading widely throughout Japan and Korea. Colleges were bursting out of both countries taking focuses of medicine, including acupuncture. These schools have remained today.
As centuries passed, the techniques of acupuncture did not drastically change. The old methods were only improved, but they were still used. Many people started practicing acupuncture and learning much from the old works. One man, Kao Wu, managed to collect all the little bits of information about acupuncture from the past couple hundred years, and compiled into one summary of all of it. He called this A Summary of the Writings of Acupuncture and Moxibustion. Kao Wu's book is still sometimes referred to today, but people have definitely changed his methods from what they used to be. People have come up with many new ideas that are all based on the traditional teachings of acupuncture. One main difference is the invention of ear acupuncture. This was invented because the book, The Ling Shu says that "the ear is the place where all the channels meet." It has proven quite useful to acupuncturists.
Today, acupuncture seems to be its most popular since its invention. This span of popularity is quite new for acupuncture, though. In the late 1890's the Europeans believed that deadly diseases were arriving in China so, by 1912, the was a massive decline in all medical techniques. After the hoax was over, it took some time to bring acupuncture back to its full deal. But with time and energy, people opened up boutiques and salons for acupuncture to be done in. People are much more fond and natural around the ideas of acupuncture today.
Acupuncture has always been mysterious and hard to understand, and I have never tried it myself. After reading your blog, I gained more knowledge about this way of healing and how it influences both the ancient world and modern world. It is also very interesting, through your interpretation, I would like to try it in the future.
ReplyDeleteSame as Vicky, I have not tried acupuncture before, however it is a very traditional and good way of healing in China. Some of my friends and relatives tried it to heal illness or just made them feel more comfortable. Also, I felt very interesting that acupuncture has such a huge influence in those countries other than China. After all, nice blog Samantha!
ReplyDeleteIt's a myth of how acupuncture actually works, but if you have been to any Chinese Traditional medicine Doctor, he or she would explain the acupuncture points to you. Acupuncture seen to be known to every Chinese family, yet a lot of friends of my culture deny this technique and refuse to believe that it works just like the Europeans in 1912, because they believed that acupuncture is an out-dated medical technique and it is safer to implement modern medicines.
ReplyDeleteGood work Samatha!
DeleteNice job Smantha. Besides providing extensive information about Acupunture and its origins, your writing was well thought out, clear and concise. That being said, I did notice some grammatical errors, such as where you said "the old methods were only improved, but they were still used." At first, I was confused to whether you were saying that these old techniques were integrated with new ones or that the old techniques were simply updated, Also, I noticed there were several missing periods and captilizations of letters. Other than that, your writing is great. Thanks for all the information:)
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