Acupuncture And An Insomnia Cure
The Origins of Acupuncture
One of the oldest and most commonly used medical procedures on the planet, acupuncture appears in reputedly the world's first medical textbook - the 4,700 year old Chinese publication, Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine).
The book is based on the documented theories of Shen Nung, the father of Chinese medicine, and the man whose theories on the heart, pulse and circulation came some 4,000 years before European medical researchers even started to think about them.
Practiced widely in China, and other Far Eastern countries, acupuncture did not gain acceptance in the West until very recently.
Indeed, in the United States, it received little recognition until an article about it appeared in the New York Times in 1971.
The Theory Behind Acupuncture
In traditional Chinese medicine the world, in its widest sense, is governed by two opposing forces, Yin and Yang and as long as these two forces remain balanced all is well.
However, if they fall out of balance, disasters occur within the natural world and disease appears in the population. On a smaller scale, traditional Chinese medicine also holds that within each of us we carry our own Yin and Yang and that, once again, as long as these remain in balance you stay fit and healthy. If they become unbalanced, however, you fall ill.
Yin bears tradition Chinese female attributes of being passive, dark, cold and wet; while Yang carries the male attributes of being active, light, warm and dry. And, just as we understand in the West that you inherit characteristics from your mother and father through their genes, so the Chinese believe that you inherit the qualities of Yin from your mother and Yang from your father.
Traditional Chinese medicine also holds that an energy force, known as Qi (pronounced Chee) runs throughout your body and carries the essential energy required for your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
This energy flows constantly around your body following twelve main and eight secondary pathways, known as meridians. At over two thousand points these meridians pass very close to the surface of the body, allowing their access through what are known as acupuncture points.
As your Yin and Yang become unbalanced, pressure is exerted on various parts of your meridian pathways and these pathways become blocked. In its simplest form therefore acupuncture is the art of accessing these blockages through your body's acupuncture points and clearing the blockages to allow your essential Qi to flow freely once more.
Practiced widely in China, and other Far Eastern countries, acupuncture did not gain acceptance in the West until very recently. Indeed, in the United States, it received little recognition until an article about it appeared in the New York Times in 1971.
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The information contained here should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of an appropriately qualified and licensed physician or other health care provider. The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and in no way should be considered as an offering of medical advice.
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