Acupuncture: Ancient Chinese Paradigm

The ancient technique of inserting and manipulating needles on the body is known as acupuncture and according to its teachings; acupuncture helps restore health and well-being and is especially beneficial in the treatment of pain.

The World Health Organization has defined and characterized acupuncture points and recognizes acupuncture. It is well known that the origins of acupuncture lie in China and are closely related to most traditional Chinese medicines. There are other forms of acupuncture such as the Japanese, Korean as well as classical Chinese versions which are not only practiced but also taught all around the world today.

Scientific research has been taken up with finding out whether acupuncture is efficacious or is merely a panacea and there have been many reviews of existing clinical trials which suggest that it is efficacious for headaches, low back pain as well as nausea. However, there does not seem to be sufficient evidence to determine whether acupuncture is effectual or not, for most other medical conditions. Nevertheless, there is consensus that acupuncture is safe when it is used by well-trained practitioners and more research is needed on this subject.

Known to the Chinese since the 1st Millennium B.C

Acupuncture in China goes way back to the 1st millennium B.C. and there is also archeological evidence to prove that it can be dated to the Han Dynasty. There is also literature available of traditional Korean medicine that was known as chimsul and Japanese versions referred to as Kampo.

Acupuncture does not really follow the trail of scientific biomedicine and is more of a paradigm whereby it treats the human body that involves many ‘systems of function’ that often is associated with physical organs, though some systems of function such as the triple heater (San Jiao) are not associated with a physical organ.

Disease is considered to being loss of homeostasis that exists in the various systems of function and in order to treat such diseases, an attempt is made to modify the activity using one or more systems of function through use of needles, pressure, heat on the body’s sensitive areas localized as acupuncture points and is referred to as treatment of patterns of disharmony.

It is not necessary for the acupoints to be on the same area of the body as the targeted symptoms and many acupuncturists, especially those in Japan, are heavily dependent on palpation for tender points, which are known as ashi points. The basic theory to this form of treatment is that they work through stimulation of the meridian system and give relief through rebalancing the yin, yang and qi and this acupunture theory is based on a paradigm not science.