The history of Acupressure
and Acupuncture:
The history of Acupressure
and Acupuncture:
In early times well over 5,000 years ago when stones and arrows were used in war,
many wounded soldiers began to report relief from long standing problems which suddenly
vanished. It was first difficult to associate the link between being injured by a piercing
object, and the restoration of health. Eventually it was concluded that certain illness could
be cured by striking or piercing certain points.
The earliest instruments of acupuncture or skin puncture were modified from
arrows, stones, bones, bamboo slips and finally needles made of gold, silver and copper.
The Nei Ching or The Yellow Emperor's classic of Internal Medicine is the
earliest known text on acupuncture. It was believed to have been written between 2697
and 2596 B.C. during the reign of Emperor Huang Ti. The Nei Ching is an extensively
detailed manual explaining all treatment methods for a wide range of ailments. It has been
used for thousands of years as the foundation of modern acupuncture. The Nei Ching is
one of the oldest know documents written about medicine of any sort. Acupuncture is the
oldest known form of medicine, and has more published, practiced and documented about
it than any other form of medicine in history.
Chinese medicine was ignored by the western world until the 17th century when
Jesuit missionaries were sent to china to introduce and convert the Chinese to Christianity.
Instead they returned to the west with unbelievable accounts of Chinese physicians curing
illness by inserting needles into the surface of the skin.
In 1928 a French specialist in Chinese culture, Souile De Morant, translated many
of the documents about acupuncture into French, thus introducing the west to Chinese
medicine.
During several periods in recent history acupuncture has been outlawed by the
Japanese and Chinese governments. In 1884, Emperor Tao-Kuang prohibited the practice
within the imperial palace and strongly punished physicians who used it. Perhaps he had
an intense needle phobia. The common people continued to use acupuncture regardless.
In Japan, acupuncture which had been in use since the sixth century, was also
abandoned during the late 1800's in an attempt to establish hospitals based on western
medicine.
Mao Tse Tung's army was key in revitalizing the art of Chinese medicine in
1935-35 as the army was living and fighting under conditions which did not allow the
practical use of other forms of medicine.
Currently, Japanese and Chinese hospitals and medical centers use a combination
of traditional acupuncture and herbology along with western approaches such as surgery
and drugs. But the country who has surpassed all others in the use of acupuncture is
France. there are approximately 6000 doctors using acupuncture and it is a routine
treatment in more than 15 hospitals.
In the late 1970s the World Health Organization, WHO, did a series of studies and
declared Acupuncture medicine to be highly effective in 40 major internal disease
processes. It is common the find the use of acupuncture in many western medical facilities
now, although much of the application of this medicine is limited to pain control and less
focused on internal medicine.
QI or Chi the root of life:
The root of the way of life, of birth and change is Qi
(energy); the myriad things of heaven and earth all
obey this law. Thus Qi in the periphery envelopes
heaven and earth, Qi in the interior activates them.
The source wherefrom the sun, moon, and stars
derive their light, the thunder, rain, wind and cloud
their being, the four seasons and the myriad things
their birth, growth, gathering and storing: all this is
brought about by Qi. Man's possession of life is
completely dependent upon this Qi. Nei Ching
Chi, (CHEE) or Qi, (KEY), are two names for the life force energy. That thing which is
a tangible substance and is the basic energy which supports all life and matter in the
cosmos.
Energy is a dynamic force in constant flux that circulates throughout the body.
Many practitioners substitute the word life for the word energy or chi, or Qi since life is
an indication of energy within the body. All signs of life such as breathing, talking,
sleeping, eating, and thinking etc. all can exist only because of the energy within the body.
Energy is the basis for the apparent solid structures of the body, for what is a solid
structure but a mass of living energized cells.
All atoms once believed to be solid, are actually a pattern of energy which physicist
have found to exist. The closer physicists look at an atom the less solid it appears, instead
it is predominantly an energy pattern which is 99.99% space. That space is filled with
light, which is in a constant state of flux. The pattern of energy seems to appear wherever
you look for it and forms a pattern based on the observer's expectations of how it will
appear. The laws of particle physics now explain that all patterns are able to exist
simultaneously everywhere, and now many of our beliefs about solid matter are really
changing!
The body and all matter is therefore made up of electro-magnetic forces which
most of us are not yet familiar with. It was ironically western scientists who ingeniously
verified the existence of electro-magnetism which provided a logical explanation for the
positive results from acupuncture and acupressure therapy, (the discovery of electricity).
In short, electro-magnetism is a high intensity force that permeates the atomic and
molecular structures of all objects including the atmosphere, (storms and electricity).
It has a rapport with the energy of the body and can travel through the body like other
forms of electricity, sound, and wave forms of energy. When needles or pressure are
used, they act as antennae that conduct the electro-magnetic energy from the air into the
body; therefore electro-magnetic energy can replenish the body's energy that has been
depleted by disease or injury.
According to Chinese medical theory, a child is born with Chi which has been
transmitted from the mother's kidneys. This chi is a fixed amount of life energy which
travels through the body along pathways known as meridians. Because the kidneys hold
the inherited chi or life force energy, we never want to sedate the kidney meridian or
energy circuit. This could create a great loss of vital energy for a human or animal. A
mother or brood mare may need a lot of kidney stimulation to restore that chi which has
been passed on to her offspring.
THE MERIDIANS:
Energy, Chi, or Qi circulates throughout the body along pathways called
Meridians. Electrical energy travels along these pathways or meridians separate from the
nervous system. Not only does the energy travel along the surface of the body, it has
connections to every organ, blood vessel, muscle, gland, and portion of the body. (Many
individuals also feel these pathways are the link between the emotional, spiritual and
physical aspects of ourselves.)
The means whereby man is created, the means
whereby diseases occur, the means whereby man is
cured, the means whereby disease arises; the twelve
meridians are the basis for all theory and treatment. Nei Ching
The meridian is that which decides over life and death.
Through it the hundred diseases may be
treated. Nei Ching
Meridian is a word borrowed from geography indicating a thin line joining a series
of ordered points. There are 12 main meridians, one assigned to each of the five organs,
the six bowels, and the pericardium or heart constrictor. The six bowels include the gall
bladder, small intestine, stomach, large intestine, bladder and the triple heater.
The meridians are channels which are 20-50 millimicrons in diameter. They have a
thin membranous wall and are filled with a transparent, colorless fluid. Each of the main
meridians intricately develops subsidiary branches, some of which supply adjacent areas
with energy while others ultimately reach the surface of the skin. The places at which the
branches reach the skin's surface are the acupuncture and pressure points. Several
channels may converge at one point, therefore it is possible to affect several meridians at
one time.
The meridians cannot be seen with the human eye but scientists have been able to
precisely map these energy channels or meridians using sensitive electronic
instrumentation. The Russians found both temperature differences and greater
conductivity of electricity at the acupuncture and acupressure points.
1999-2006 Animal Holistic Care Specialists
