Acupuncture

Use in Ancient Society:

The understanding of how acupuncture works has evolved with its practice, but the descriptions set down a thousand years ago have largely been retained. The dominant function of acupuncture is to regulate the circulation of qi (vital energy) and blood. Approximately 2,000 years ago, the pre-eminent acupuncture text, Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Classic on Internal Medicine), was written. In it, acupuncture was described as a means of letting out excess qi or blood by making holes in the body along certain pathways, called jingluo (meridians). For some of these meridians, it was advised to acupuncture in such a way as to let out the blood but not the qi; for others, to let out the qi, but not the blood. Many diseases were thought to enter the body through the skin, and then penetrate inward through muscle, internal organs, and, if not cured in timely fashion, to the marrow of the bone. By inserting a needle to the appropriate depth-to correspond with the degree of disease penetration-the disease could be let out.

In ancient Chinese civilisations individual cells could not be viewed under an electron microscope, and disease did not have the intricate explanation it has today. Illness and wellbeing was hugely related to the external world as the internal workings were yet to be explained. Therefore, most theories were related to the visible world; One of the critical aspects of nature for humans living a thousand years ago, when Chinese civilisation was well developed, was the system of water courses, which included tiny streams, huge rivers, man-made canals and the ocean. It was envisioned that the body had a similar system of moving, life-giving fluid. Acupuncture evolved from letting something out the body to regulating the internal dynamics of the human body. Because the internal flow of qi through the body could be blocked like a stream. If one goes to the point of blockage and clears it away, then the stream can resume its natural course. In a like manner, if the passage of qi becomes blocked then the body becomes disordered. 

One can resume the natural flow by cutting a small hole or crevice in the blockage, which can clear the entire path, because the force of the fluid penetrating the hole will widen it continuously until the normal flow is restored. This is the foundations of acupuncture; a small needle is inserted into the blocked region.

There are certain points on the human body which have a significant impact on the flow of fluid, so these are used to treat 'blockages'. Although this description of the basic acupuncture concept is somewhat simplified, it conveys the approach that is taught today to students of traditional acupuncture: locate the areas of disturbance, isolate the main blockage points, and clear the blockage. Not only does the site of the blockage have an affect, but the depth, direction and chemical composition of the needle influence the result of procedures. 

Not only are blockages treated but also a surplus of qi flow can be rectified using acupuncture: tonifying, draining and transference methods. Ultimately, all the descriptions of acupuncture that are based on the traditional model involve rectifying a disturbance in the flow of qi. If the qi circulation is corrected, the body can eliminate most symptoms and eventually-with proper diet, exercise, and other habits-overcome virtually all disease.

Use in Modern Society:

When the human body was finally described in terms of cells, biochemicals, and specific structures (most of this accomplished less than 150 years ago), the Chinese method of acupuncture and its underlying concepts were evaluated in these new terms. From the modern perspective, diseases and injuries are resolved by a complex set of responses; the responses are coordinated by several signalling systems. The signalling systems mainly involve peptides and other small biochemicals that are released at one site, travel to other sites, interact with cells, and stimulate various biologically programmed responses. Rather than blockages of circulation described in the old Chinese dogma, diseases are understood to be caused by microorganisms, metabolic failures, changes in DNA structure or signalling, or breakdown of the immune system. Some of these disorders are resolved by the cellular functions that are designed for healing, while others become chronic diseases because the pathological factors involved have either defeated the body's normalising mechanisms or because something else has weakened the body's responses to the point that they are ineffective.

Modern studies have revealed that acupuncture stimulates one or more of the signalling systems, which can increase the rate of healing. This response from the body, may be sufficient enough to cure a disease or only reduce some of symptoms. According the current understanding, the primary signalling system affected by acupuncture is the nervous system, which not only transmits signals but also secretes biochemicals which have effects on other cells in the body. The nervous system is connected to the hormonal system, via the adrenal gland, and makes connections to every cell and system in the body. 

According to this interpretation, acupuncture is seen as a stimulus directed to certain responsive parts of the nervous system, producing the needling sensation and setting off a biochemical cascade which enhances healing. Some acupuncture points are very frequently used and their applications are quite varied: needling at these points may stimulate a "global" healing response that can affect many diseases. Other points have only limited applications; needling at those points may affect only one of the signalling systems. It is common for acupuncturists to combine the broad-spectrum points and the specific points for each treatment.

During this modern period (since the 1970s) an increasing number of ways to stimulate the healing response at various body points have been advocated, confirming that needling is not a unique method (the idea that the needle would produce a hole through which pathogenic forces could escape has long been fading). In the past, the main procedures for affecting acupuncture points were needling and application of heat (moxibustion). Now, there is increasing reliance on electrical stimulation (with or without needling), and laser stimulation. Since the basic idea of acupuncture therapy is gaining popularity throughout the world while the practice of needling is restricted to certain health professions and is not always convenient, other methods are also becoming widely used. Lay persons and practitioners with limited training are applying finger pressure (acupressure), tiny metal balls held to the to the skin by tape, magnets (with or without tiny needles attached), piezoelectric stimulus (a brief electric discharge), and low energy electrical pulsing (such as the TENS unit provides with electrical stimulus applied to the skin surface by taped electrodes). Some of these methods may have limited effectiveness, but it appears that if an appropriate body site is stimulated properly, then the healing response is generated.

Subsequently, we can conclude that although we have developed a valid explanation for the effectiveness of acupuncture, and come far since describing disease in terms of simple blockages, we still cease to find an alternative to acupuncture and many other unique Ancient Chinese treatments. In my opinion western societies have an extreme arrogance and many refuse to accept the extraordinary techniques of those developed in eastern civilisations. In another post I will compare medical treatments in the east and west. However, for purposes here I include America and western Europe in the west and, because of similarities between Buddhist and Confucian philosophy, India is included in the East with China and the east Asian countries.