 Acupuncture has been a major part of primary healthcare in China for the last 5,000 years. It is used extensively for a variety of medical purposes ranging from the prevention and treatment of disease, to relieving pain and anesthetizing patients for surgery. As in many oriental medicine practices, the emphasis of acupuncture is on prevention. In traditional Chinese medicine, the highest form of acupuncture was given to enable you to live a long, healthy life.
The earliest written account of acupuncture is found in the Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine). This document is believed to be from around 200 BC and is one of the oldest comprehensive medical text book. Pien Chueh, a famous physician of the fourth century BC, used stone acupuncture needles, moxibustion and herbs to bring a prince out of a coma. The Chinese still celebrate his birthday every year on April 28th. |
