Since the Stone Age, the Chinese people have applied pressure or heat to certain points on the body to provoke a healing response. Beginning with stone needles (bian stones), then bronze, iron and currently stainless steel, acupuncture has been used to stimulate the body's ability to heal itself.
The application of heat to specific points to achieve specific effects probably also began around Stone age campfires. The most common way to apply heat is known as moxibustion. This technique involves placing a stick of burning leaves of artemesia vulgaris near the point to be treated. Moxibustion gently warms the area and stimulates the acupuncture point. Many acupuncturists currently use other heating modalities common to physical therapy in lieu of or in addition to moxibuson.
The use of various plant, mineral and animal products for medicinal purposes also dates back to the Stone Age, and comprises at significant portion of Oriental medicine. Several herbs are typically prescribed together as a formula to balance the whole person rather than as single herbs to treat a single condition.
Traditional Chinese herbal medicine also differs from its Western counterpart in that the formulas were often designed to enhance health and longevity rather than fight disease, though that purpose is also served. In the California acupuncture licensing act, herbs are considered, "dietary supplements to promote health" rather than as drugs used to treat disease. Most insurance carriers do not currently reimburse the cost of herbs. AcuNet® providers use only herbal formulas that meet or exceed FDA "Good Manufacturing Practices" for food.
The earliest surviving medical classic in China, Huangdi Neijing or Yellow Emperor's Canon of Medicine, was compiled between 500-300 BC. It is a summary of the medical experience and theoretical knowledge of a well developed system of medicine. This system of health care has served the Chinese people for 2,500 to 3,000 years.
Over the millennia, acupuncture and Oriental medicine spread throughout Asia and developed into many schools of thought in different parts of China, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia. Many techniques drifted into Western Medicine, such as cupping, cauterization, some forms of massage and joint manipulation. The Yellow Emperor's Classic also describes techniques of immunization and surgery, though they have been independently reinvented in the West.
In 1971 Henry Kissinger made a trip to China in preparation for Nixon's historic trip the following year. One of the reporters who was sent to cover these talks, James Reston, required abdominal surgery due to appendicitis. To the amazement of all the Westerners, the post operative pain was brought under control with acupuncture and moxibustion. Mr. Reston wrote about his experience in a Chinese hospital in the New York Times which helped to bring acupuncture into the eyes of the American public and helped lead to licensure for acupuncture in several states.
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