How Did Acupuncture Begin?

The origin of the practice of acupuncture is shrouded in antiquity. However, tradition has it that several thousand years ago the Chinese noticed that when some of their soldiers were wounded in battle by arrows, the wounds caused pain to disappear from other parts of the body. Over the centuries, with much experimenting, this way of treating illnesses grew to its present state.

Acupuncture today is most highly developed in the People's Republic of China. However, its use there as an anesthetic is only of recent origin, dating back to about the year 1957, when it began to be developed. Because the needs of the government-enforced national health care were great, and the number of Western-trained doctors was small, the government ordered that traditional acupuncturists and herbal practitioners also be given physician status. In this way Western-oriented medicine was combined with traditional Chinese medicine. Each would learn from the other.