A Brief History of Acupuncture from EIIHS

A brief look at the history and migration of acupuncture around the world. 6000 BCE. Sharp bone and stone instruments discovered in China. Known as bian stones, these are described as pieces of stone used for treating illness by pricking the body, by philosopher Han Fei. 476-221 BCE. Developments in Confucianism and Taoism shaped not just acupuncture but the entirety of TCM, as well as the refinement of the Five Elements and yin-yang philosophies. 198 BCE. Burial tombs, sealed during Mawangdu period contained silk scrolls, which depict a medical practice related to acupuncture meridian systems. Their circulation, symptoms, and pathologies. 100 BCE. Guangdian aging, the Yellow Emperor's classic of internal medicine, consisting of Siwen and Lingxu, described a comprehensive system of diagnosis and treatment recognized today as acupuncture. The concepts of acupuncture meridians and qi flow were well established at this time. It also recorded other modalities including manual techniques, tuina, herbal medicine, and qigong, energy work. 295 AD. Acclaimed physician, Wang Fumi, pens the canon of acupuncture and moxibustion. The earliest systemic works devoted entirely to acupuncture and moxibustion, which forms the basis for many of the techniques practiced today. 552 AD. Acupuncture migrates to Japan and Korea. Emperor of Liang Dynasty, Wen Di, presents a copy of Xinjing, a lost text on acupuncture, to the Imperial Court of Japan. The Imperial Government of Japan will subsequently rule in 701 AD that all acupuncture courses offered by medical institutions must be based upon that text. 618 AD. The Silk Road. Early Tan Dynasty expanded China and also founded a dedicated Imperial Medical Academy, which included the official study of Chinese medicine. Subsequently, in 618 AD, the Imperial Medical Academy became the first formal institution to officially recognize acupuncture as an independent specialty. 1023 AD. Court physician Wang Wei compiles work on acupuncture meridians and verifies acupoints and channels. He publishes the illustrated classic of acupuncture and moxibustion. 1331 AD. 4. Books of acupuncture and moxibustion. Published by Zhou Guifang compiled important works written during the Song and Jin Dynasties on acupuncture and provided detailed information on various point prescriptions. For example, how to treat palpitations and epilepsy. During this time, Mongols also contributed to the medical knowledge of acupuncture by introducing moxibustion and bloodletting techniques. 1368-16 AD. During the Ming Dynasty, acupuncture reaches new professional and public esteem, in part due to its inclusion as one of the 13 medical departments of the Imperial Medical Academy. Acupuncture quickly becomes one of the primary care systems used in China, alongside herbs, massage, diet, and moxibustion. Many advancements in surgical practices also included the development of achieving analgesia, pain relief, by local application of acupuncture. 1500-17 AD. During the Middle Ages, the Dutch East India Company imported acupuncture to Europe. One interesting and eventual result of this was the contribution to development of the hypodermic needle. As well as introducing acupuncture techniques for the treatment of pain and a variety of other disorders. Dr. Willem ten Rijn was one of the first physicians in Europe, to report on acupuncture, publishing as a medical dissertation. He is credited for coining the modern term of acupuncture from Latin, acus and punctura. 1800-1950. Increased research into the effectiveness of acupuncture for pain relief, spurs the eventual establishment of the International Society of Acupuncture in Paris in 1941. 1949. Following the installation of the communist government in China, all traditional forms of medicine are re-established, to ensure availability of basic level of health care to the society. 1971. During the unprecedented visit to China by the United States President Richard Nixon, a U.S. press corps member James Reston, the vice president of the New York Times is treated with acupuncture during an emergency appendectomy. Mr. Reston, later describes his experiences in the New York Times article. As a result, teams of U.S. physicians travel to China to observe and assess the therapeutic applications of acupuncture. Dr. Samuel Rosen, an acclaimed New York surgeon, witnesses first-hand the use of acupuncture for anesthesia during a visit to China. He subsequently reports that he was unable to explain medically the successful application he observed. The acknowledgment of acupuncture for pain relief in 1997 prompts the National Institutes of Health in the United States to declare that there was sufficient evidence to expand the use of acupuncture into conventional medicine. In 2013, the Arthritis Research Centers in the United Kingdom finds acupuncture to be the most effective complementary therapy for osteoarthritis, lower back pain, and fibromyalgia. Today, acupuncture is increasingly accepted as a therapeutic system by western physicians and governments, especially for pain relief. It is being practiced in over 180 countries and many governments have began to standardize and integrate acupuncture into the mainstream healthcare system. In the hands of well-trained, specialized providers, acupuncture has much wider applications than just pain relief. The World Health Organization recognizes the use of acupuncture in the treatment of a variety of illnesses. From respiratory, gastrointestinal, reproductive disorders, to gynecological conditions, peripheral neuropathies, and even mental health. If you wish to learn more, or wish to pursue a rewarding and fulfilling career in this rapidly growing field of specialized medicine, contact the European Institute for Integrative Health Sciences.