Chinese medicine has evolved over many millennia; it has been formed out of a totally different mindset than modern medicines that have only evolved over a few centuries or even a few decades.
Modern medicine looks at the condition a person has and tries to find a way of alleviating the problem within the area it is located, this differs greatly to ancient Chinese medicine where it does not matter what condition a person is suffering with, and the location of the condition is, because the body is treated as one entity that happens to have different functions within it.
Acupuncture treats the body as one entity and works by channeling the body’s natural energy, which the ancient Chinese called Qi. Qi is found in rivers and streams flowing through the body, so if someone has a condition in one part of the body the Qi can be channeled in different areas of the body to help the ailment.
In ancient Chinese culture the reason why a person can resolve their condition through manipulating the flow of Qi, with acupuncture, is because they believe that conditions are due to a deficiency of Qi in the area concerned.
To channel Qi effectively a therapist carrying out acupuncture would have to know the thousands of acupuncture points. Acupuncture points are areas of the body that important flows of Qi run through, these are normally located on meridian lines related to main organs in the body like the heart, if these points are utilized correctly the Qi can act as a medication to resolve the condition while also promoting a feeling of well being in an individual.
To access the acupuncture points in the body, acupuncture works by inserting little needles. To feel the full benefits of acupuncture it is quite normal for hundreds of needles to be inserted in many different parts of the body, it is important to note at this juncture that no pain is felt from the needles being inserted.
How old is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is one of the oldest of the ancient Chinese medicines that is still used today. Until recently the history of acupuncture went back three millennia to a thousand years before the birth of Christ, this was found through many hieroglyphs that were found within dwellings in China. Recently there has been a major shift in the history of acupuncture as a five thousand year old mummy was found bearing tattoos of acupuncture points that are used to treat conditions the mummy was found to be suffering with.
The acupuncture that is used to treat many different conditions today, is the same treatment that was used two thousand years ago during the time of Daoism philosophy, the only difference is the material that is used to make the needles used.
Who can carry out acupuncture?
Acupuncture cannot be carried out by anyone; it is a medical art form that has been passed down through generations. Today people attend college to gain qualifications in holistic medicine so they can carry out this ancient treatment.