Acupuncture first came about during the Chou dynasty (1030BC to 221BC) of Chinese therapy, as a system of therapy that involved using needles on precise points of the body. The points were derived from the philosophical concepts of humanity and its relationship to the natural environment. The Warring States period (480BC to 221BC) is particularly important in the development of acupuncture’s history as it incorporated two major philosophical ideologies into mainstream Chinese thought – Confucianism and Daoism.
One main belief of Confucianism is of the sacrosanct completeness of the human body. The Dao in Daoism literally means the “way” to integrating human beings with the forces of the natural world in a harmonious manner. This is because the cyclic rhythm of these forces naturally balance and complement each other in order to create an environment that is favourable to life.
The concepts of Chinese medicine that have been derived from Daoism maintain that it is necessary for the regulation of each person’s essential bodily processes to line up with the need for natural harmony.
Acupuncture, a way of treating internal conditions using an external means, evolved as a vital and needed addition to these beliefs.
Fundamental to both acupuncture and Chinese philosophy is energy. This energy flows along pathways near the surface of the skin according to a diurnal cycle, and each pathway of energy corresponds to a particular organ. Acupuncture points are specific locations on the pathway that may be needled in order to affect the balance of the energy it contains and regulate the function of the corresponding organ.
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