Although some medical practitioners and scientific researchers are still in doubt with the real functions of acupuncture, others believe firmly that this method can give benefits in curing certain diseases and relieving health problems. Most people also consider acupuncture as an effective way to help people reduce their pain and also treat their body for other purposes like beauty or fitness. This alternative medical treatment is so popular these days that many people want to use it. Yet, the effectiveness is still debatable as many experts do not even believe it.
Just like the different opinions people have on the effectiveness of acupuncture, there are also many different arguments on the history of this piercing method. There have been many different outlooks on when acupuncture was first used or done. People only agree that this method was originally from China but they still argue on its past. There are many theories and also proofs that support different opinions on the early time of acupuncture.
Some experts say that this alternative technique started to be introduced to the society thousands of years ago. Some researchers claim that this technique was firstly introduced 5000 years ago. This opinion is supported by the fact that a mummy aged 5000 years has several pierced spots on its skin which resemble the main locations for modern acupuncture. Others, however, strongly believe that it came from around 8000 years ago. This estimation is based on the philosophy rooted in the Taoist tradition which existed 8000 years ago. One of the sages of this period, Fu Hsi, who lived in the Yellow River area of China approximately 8000 years ago, was very popular for his I-Ching book, the philosophy of the Chinese medicine. There are eight trigrams and then 64 hexagrams in this book which lead to some theories that become one of the basis of modern acupuncture.
Other people are even convinced that acupuncture was originated from the Stone Ages, both the Old Stone Age (10.000 years ago) and the New Stone Age (4000 years ago). This conviction is based on some artefacts found from those ages. People found some primitive sharp stones functioned as needles for piercing. These sharp stones were called Bian Shi and people were actually using them as medical knives to treat some illness. The stone knives were not as sharp and as thin as the modern knives so it can be imagined how wide the cuts and the piercing were. The stones were then replaced by seashells, fish bones, bamboo clips and other things which were thinner. People kept trying to make the best form of the acupuncture tools until they come to the needles made of metal they used today.
Now people know that acupuncture has already been being used as an alternative medical treatment since thousands years ago. Though people do not agree yet on when this practice began, most people believe that today’s acupuncture with those very fine hair thin needles and all other modern processes came from a simple phrobing process using stone knives. This technique has been evolving through a very long journey and now ends up with advanced technology and precision instruments, making it one great choice to cure diseases.