Acupuncture is a complementary medical practice that entails stimulating certain points on the body, with a needle penetrating the skin, to alleviate pain or to treat various diseases. The precise date of acupuncture's invention and how it evolved from early times are unknown. Traditional Chinese religion attributes acupuncture to the god Shennong.
The Chinese Medical system looks at the world in a very different way that we do. Eastern and Western science have a yin/yang relationship. They can compliment one another, but they are still vastly different.
Acupuncture was created by Taoists. Taoism is a philosophy that has influenced Chinese culture since the beginning of civilization. It has also influenced Chinese science and medicine. The Taoists were interested in finding chi(qi), the energy source where all life comes from. Acupuncture is the medical system that was created for Chi. To maintain and restore health, the Chinese worked with the chi of the body.
Their science was devoted to understanding how Chi worked and moved in the body. They discovered that Chi moves through specific pathways in the body that relate to each of the major organs. The Taoists also discovered that the Chi of the body can be measured. The Chi of all organs and channels can be measured on the radial artery of the wrists. This discovery resulted in Pulse Diagnosis.
One of the main principles of acupuncture is the regulation of yin and yang.
Acupuncture and the concept of yin and yang are sometimes referred to as the restoration of the universe. The body is like the nature of the universe, where it is constantly changing and moving. The goal of acupuncture is to restore yin and yang, for acupuncture prompts the energetic body back into a state of movement. Acupuncture therapy is used to apply various techniques of manipulation to spots of the body to balance the yin and yang.
The upper part of the body, the exterior of the body, and