6000 year old heritage

  Acupuncture has a rich heritage reaching as far back as 6000 BCE with the use of "Bian Stones," sharpened bones and stones, which were used as medical instruments. The practice was further refined and around 198 BCE, THE MAWANDUI SILK SCROLLS described the medical practices related to acupuncture meridian circulation and various pathological symptoms. Shortly after, Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine 100 BCE), became the most essential classic text on medicine, containing detailed descriptions and organized system of diagnosis and treatments for diseases. This text formed the basis of what is now recognized as the Foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture.

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    In 1912 CE Acupuncture became recognized by the allopathic medical community in the West. The Principles and Practice of Medicine, published by renowned physician Sir William Osler, contains a passage describing how the insertion of 'hat pins' into the lower back can relieve back pain. Since then, countless clinical and scientific studies and trials have been conducted to better understand the mechanisms and underlying reasons for Acupunctures' effectiveness.

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    The World Health Organization (WHO), and the NIH now have specific sections dealing with the professional scopes of practice and recommendations with regards to the benefits and practice of Acupuncture. In 2010 UNESCO added Acupuncture and Moxibustion to the list of "Intangible Human Cultural Treasure" In 2020 The World Health Organization adopted the standards for Traditional Medicine including Acupuncture and has established codices of professional training, scope of practice and benchmarks.

 

    Accepted by many medical professionals as an effective therapy for variety of conditions, Acupuncture is one of the fasted growing medical professions around the world, and is more and more being integrated in the mainstream healthcare systems to address patient care.