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Accupuncture

Diffusion of Acupuncture
After thousands of years, acupuncture still holds value in contemporary practices. Acupuncture inserts needles into certain points on the body to treat maladies. The practice, which originates from China and Asia, made its way to the west. As other countries adopted this practice, different styles have developed due to various geographic aspects.
Acupuncture traces back about 2,000 years but, according to some authorities, China used it for more than double that amount of time (Lewith). Some of China’s earliest medical texts are enclosed inside Ma-Wang-Dui’s tomb which was sealed in 198 B.C.E. It contained nothing about acupuncture; however, earlier use of acupuncture may indicate by the discovery of hieroglyphics dating back to 1000 B.C.E (Murphy).   Reflected in Haung Di’s text, Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, is a detailed organization of diagnosis and treatment (“Acupuncure”). Some believe that acupuncture first developed during Haung Di’s Rule starting 2698 B.C.E. (“Acupuncture”); additionally the book was the basis for the practice of acupuncture and Asia’s main guide pertaining to medical care in 2600’s B.C.E. (Dr. Feely).
In order to understand a practice originating in the Traditional Chinese Medicine system, one must first understand the basic theory behind its methods. The Chinese believed that a person’s health corresponds to the proper flow of qi, also known as “vital energy”, through pathways on the body called meridians (“Acupuncture”). It is said that each meridian in the body refers to a certain organ; additionally, the condition of that organ is determined by the balance of qi flowing through the meridian (Murphy). Illness and pain will result if the proper flow of qi is not flowing to a certain part of the body. In order to restore the correct flow of qi, the Chinese acupuncturists insert and adjust needles into certain “acupuncture points”, which correspond to a particular meridian (“Acupuncture”)....