Acupuncture – Meaning & Historical Perspective

The medicinal therapy used in early China is what we know today as Acupuncture. The process involves placing of special acupuncture needles into the skin, without using any drugs, to cure the patients.

Acupuncture, being safe and harmless has proven to be a substitute for drugs or surgery even, due to its effective and healing process. Most often people turn towards acupuncture as compared to the conventional ways of curing through allopathic method of treatment.

Historical Background

The word Acupuncture derives from two Latin words; Acus means needle and pungere means to prick. Marco Polo was the first one to describe this medical therapy with these words during his voyage to Asia in the late thirteenth century.

The history of its practice dates back to at least 2500 years and apart from China, from where it was originated, the therapy was also carried out in certain Asian countries like Japan, Vietnam and Korea by %00 CE, due to its increasing popularity into the region. In addition, it reached the heights of recognition in Europe in the 16th century. The history of acupuncture being practiced in France dates back to about 200 years ago, where Sarlandière, one of the early practitioners, successfully used the needles for the treatment of asthma, rheumatism, severe headaches like migraine and certain types of paralysis.

Acupuncture Gaining Popularity in the Modern Time

However, this therapy had been quite popular in Europe for some time, but it had not gained enough recognition until 1971, when US President Nixon visited China. Accompanying him, his entourage comprised of different people, one of whom was James Reston, a reporter from New York Times. Reston had to undergo a surgery on complaint of appendicitis, after which he developed some problem in functioning of his bowels, which was treated through acupuncture therapy, without giving him any anesthetic. This wonderful experience stunned almost the whole world, and they were gladly attracted towards this art of medical treatment, in which the pains of surgery can be relieved and an amazing fact stunned the world that sometimes the treatment is a substitute of not only the medication and drugs but that of the surgery too...

What to expect from an acupuncture session?

Generally, an acupuncture session consists in checking the pulse, the tongues, the eye iris and the patient’s general health, considering the fact that acupuncture is focused on the cause of the disease while treating the body as a whole. A session can last for a half of hour, while the number of sessions depends on the seriousness of the disorder and the time of response in each patient.

Although acupuncture can be a healthy alternative for ameliorating certain diseases, take note that there are also few contraindications; it is not recommended to: - pregnant women; - when it comes to cancer patients, if the tumor is on the surface of the skin , it should not be touched by the needles; - Never sting needles into a fresh wound.

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