Preface

Definition of acupuncture and moxibustion: it is a discipline focusing on meridians and collaterals, acupoints, acupuncture-moxibustion therapy, as well as its application to the prevention and treatment of diseases, guided by the theories of traditional Chinese medicine.

1. Brief History of the Science of Acupuncture and Moxibustion

Acupuncture therapy originated in the Neolithic Age.

Stone needles,  the  predecessors of modern needling instruments, were produced in the eastern coastal areas of China. Metal needles first appeared in the southern parts of China.

Nine kinds of metal needles with diverse shapes appeared during the Spring and Autumn Period (771-476 BCE) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BCE). They had unique shapes and various applications. The Chan needle, for example, resembled an arrowhead with a big head and sharp end, derived from the arrowhead used for shooting as a weapon. The Pi needle was more like a sharp sword, based upon the walking sword. The body of the ovoid-tip Yuan-li needle was cylinder-shaped, with an oval-shaped tip, evolved from a cooking utensil. It was once used as a needling instrument by ancient acupuncturists to give pressure along meridians without penetrating the skin. The most commonly-used modern acupuncture needle was mainly developed from the filiform needle of the ancient nine needles.

Moxibustion therapy gradually came into being in the northern parts of China.

Also appearing in primitive society, cupping therapy was a method of pressing the air out of a kitchenware, which was originally made of an animal horn, with the assistance of heat from fire, to treat diseases by sucking on the skin surface.

1.1 Early Theoretical System of the Practice of Acupuncture and Moxibustion

This stage was when the knowledge of acupuncture and moxibustion mainly came from individuals’ clinical practice around the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Among the silk medical manuscripts unearthed from Han Tomb No. 3 at Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan Province in 1973, there were two kinds of ancient literatures about meridians. They were The Moxibustion Classic with Eleven Foot-hand Meridians and The Moxibustion Classic with Eleven Yin-yang Meridians, making only eleven meridians and moxibustion available to be applied in treatment. They are considered the earliest extant books on acupuncture and moxibustion. They demonstrate the early appearance of the meridian system.

1.2 The Establishment of a Theoretical System for Acupuncture and Moxibustion

As a discipline, acupuncture and moxibustion includs three aspects:

Meridians, collateral  and acupoints, acupuncture  and moxibustion techniques, and the  treatment  of acupuncture and moxibustion.

In the Warring States period and the Qin (221-206 BCE) and Han (206 BCE-220 CE) dynasties, a medical classic called The Yellow Emperor,s Canon of Medicine came into being. It consists of two major parts: The Spiritual Pivot and Plain Questions. The Spiritual Pivot is also known as The Canon of Acupunture. It deals with meridians and collaterals, acupoints, acupuncture-moxibustion therapy as well as its application to the prevention and treatment of diseases.  It represents the independence of acupuncture and moxibustion as a discipline and the establishment of a theoretical system for acupuncture and moxibustion. The Classic of Medical Problems serves as the supplement for vital qi and the eight extraordinary meridians.

1.3 Development of the Theoretical System for Acupuncture and Moxibustion

As the first treatise on acupuncture and moxibustion, The ABC Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion was compiled by Huang Fu-mi of the Jin Dynasty (265-420 CE). It is based on Pain Questions, The Spiritual Pivot and Ming Tang Points and Essentials of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatment, and is another summary on acupuncture and moxibustion. In the tradition of The Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Medicine, it has a comprehensive exposition of the theories of zangfu and meridians. These developed and ascertained 349 acupoint locations, their main treatment and use. It began using acupuncture and moxibustion to treat common diseases, as well as discussing its compatibility and incompatibility with various maladies. This is the earliest extant treatise on acupuncture and moxibustion. It was transmitted to such countries as Japan and Korea in the sixth century CE, taking the lead in spreading acupunture in East Asia. The book has become the textbook for acupuncture and moxibustion students in Japan and Korea.

Phased Achievements:

A great number of prescriptions for moxibustion were recorded in the Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies by Ge Hong in Jin Dynasty (265-420 CE).

The earliest colored map of meridians and acupoints is, “Ming Tang Three People Picture”, drawn by Sun Si- miao, who also began Ashi acupoint and finger-length measurement.

A national education system for acupuncture and moxibustion started to form in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE).

An Illustrated Manual of Acupoints on a Bronze Figure was composed by Wang Wei-yi in Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) which included 354 acupoints.

Hua Bo-ren of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 CE) first put forward the theory of the fourteen meridians in his book The Elaboration of the Fourteen Meridians.

He Ruo-yu   invented  the  midnight-noon  ebb  and  flow  acupuncture therapy, while  Guan Han-qing developed the theory of the eight confluence points.

Billingual Acupuncture and Moxibustion

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) was an active period for the development of acupuncture and moxibustion, with an extra point being proposed by Yang Ji-zhou in Great Compendium of Acupuncture, the third summary of acupuncture and moxibustion (involving 359 acupoints). A Study on the Eight Extra Meridians was compiled by Li Shi-zhen.

1.4 The Period of Decline

The Department of acupuncture and moxibustion in the Imperial Medical Bureau was abolished in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 CE).

A total of 361 acupoints were recorded in Tracing the Sources of Acupuncture and Moxibustion by Li Xue- chuan.

1.5 The Period of new Flourishing

The People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949.

(1) Before the 1950s, academic thought mainly focused on sorting out literatures concerning acupuncture and moxibustion and observing its indications.

(2) From the late 1950s to 1960s, the summary of clinical effects revealed the basic workings of acupuncture and moxibustion. From the late 1960s, research into, and the practice of, acupuncture anesthesia began.

(3) During the 1970s, with the discovery of the curative mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion, and the practice of acupuncture anesthesia, as well as US President Nixon’s visit to China, acupuncture and moxibustion began to be known around to go to the world. In 1979, the World Health Organization recommended accupuncture and moxibustion for forty-three diseases.

(4) During the  1980s, the innovation of acupuncture compound anesthesia increased the scope of acupuncture’s uses in treating diseases.

The international training centers of acupuncture and moxibustion in Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou have nurtured many acupuncture and moxibustion talents from around the world. Over 120 countries and regions use upuncture and moxibustion to treat diseases.

In November 1997, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) held a public hearing on acupuncture therapy and concluded that the acupuncture therapy originating from China deserves widespread application for its effectiveness in treating various diseases with few side effects. (This hearing played an important role in the popularization of acupuncture and moxibustion around the world.)

2. International Adoption of Acupuncture and Moxibustion

In the sixth century BCE, acupuncture and moxibustion was transmitted to Korea and Japan.

In 702 BCE, some Japanese had made acupuncture and moxibustion major subjects of study, by following the medical system of Tang Dynasty.

Between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries acupuncture and moxibustion was spread to Europe. France was an important country in spreading acupuncture and moxibustion.

In 1979, forty-three diseases were recommended by WHO for treatment with acupuncture and moxibustion.

According to statistics, the number of diseases treated by acupuncture and moxibustion has reached 300. This includes internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology and dermatology.

100 kinds of diseases have come to be treated with acupuncture out with good or very good therapeutic effects.

In 1972, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiated acupuncture and moxibustion research, marking the first climax of acupuncture and moxibustion research. In 1973, two journals, The American Journal of Chinese Medicine and The American Journal of Acupuncture, focusing on acupuncture and moxibustion research came into being. In 1994, acupuncture instruments were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as legitimate medical instruments. In 1996, acupuncture instruments were no longer labelled “tentative medical instruments” by the FDA.

In November 1997, after undertaking an investigation into acupuncture and moxibustion treatment during an annual congress, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) reached the conclusion that acupuncture and moxibustion should be accepted by American doctors as a scientific practice, even if its therapeutic mechanism is still uncertain. In the summary report delivered by NIH, acupuncture and moxibustion was said to have evident therapeutic effects in treating some diseases and might serve as an adjuvant therapy in some other cases.

In the same year, the United States Congress proceeded with a widespread discussion on acupuncture and moxibustion as a scientific and legal therapeutic method at a hearing, with Chinese experts involved. This hearing affirmed the conclusion made by NIH and further admitted that acupuncture and moxibustion was an effective medical method for treating diseases, at least for some diseases. There was no doubt that such measures promoted the second climax of acupuncture and moxibustion research. Since January 1998, acupuncture practioners have been allowed to fill in the medical insurance data with the serial number of American Medical Assurance (AMA). The number of legal acupuncture practioners in American is increasing each year. So far, 46 states of the United States are willing to issue medical licenses to acupuncture and moxibustion practioners.

Relevant Websites for Acupuncture and Moxibustion

The United States:

http: // www. acupuncture. com

http: // www. acupuncturetoday. com

The Great Britain:

The British Medical Acupuncture Society: http: //www. medical-acupuncture.co.uk

The British Acupuncture Council: http: //www. acupuncture. org. uk

Acupuncture Research Resource Center: http: //www. demon. co. uk/acupuncture