On the Origins of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Theory

49 Pages·2014·0.68 MB·English

On the Origins of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Theory
By Matthew D. Bauer, L.Ac.
Copyright 2013 Matthew D. Bauer
Why study the roots of acupuncture and Chinese medicine theory? For one, it is an
intellectually stimulating subject as fascinating as pondering the back-story regarding the
pyramids or Stonehenge. More important to those practicing Chinese medicine, however, is
that exploring the roots of this great medical system helps us put the many current theories
into perspective, develop our critical thinking skills, and better understand how to make sense
of ancient literature.
I first became fascinated with the origins of Chinese culture including Chinese medicine when
I met Taoist Master Hua-Ching Ni in 1978. Master Ni’s Taoist tradition traces its roots back far
into the pre-historic age. Being raised in Western culture, I knew that modern anthropology and
other sciences had traced modern human roots back more than 2 million years. However, we in
the West tend to not think of such “primitive” beings as part of our present culture. We
understand ourselves to be descendants of those beings biologically but we know nothing of
their personal struggles or think of them as beloved ancestors who graciously handed us down
knowledge essential to our own present life struggles. Yet, that was exactly what the Taoist folk
history I started to learn 35 years ago had to say about ancient Chinese culture.
While I found such assertions interesting, I remained skeptical that they could be accurate. As I
slowly learned more about the concepts behind Taoist philosophy and their Holistic sciences, I
began to warm-up to the possibility that this knowledge may have come from beings that lived
and learned long before settled life began some 10,000 years ago. Why should this not be a
possibility? Modern humans – Homo sapiens sapiens – complete with modern human brains,
began their journey on this earth some 200,000 years before those first settlements. Does it not
seem probable that 200,000 years of modern human brains could have learned some important
insights regarding life and humankinds’ place within life that went beyond learning how to
make tools and control fire?
Of course it is possible that our very ancient ancestors learned valuable lesions during their
hundreds of generations of struggle but Western history only picks-up the story after the first
civilizations began and written language eventually appeared. Other than perhaps tool-making
ability, “pre-historic” knowledge was essentially lost to the West, but not, according to Taoist
folk history, to the Chinese.
Taoist folk history, for example, does not just acknowledge the milestone developments of such
things as when humans began to control fire or build dwellings or first began to heard animals
On the Origins of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Theory

or plant crops. Their legends actually give names to the people who first started these
practices. They are seen as real people who made important discoveries that helped improve
the lives or their fellow beings right down to the present age.
Many will scoff at these types of legends as being romantic notions with little basis in fact but
we in the West need to also acknowledge that our own culture’s legends of the past have
prejudiced our objectivity on this subject. I just today read a story of a U.S. Congressman, a high
ranking member of the Congressional Science Committee, who had stated his belief that there
was scientific evidence suggesting the earth is only about 9,000 years old. He further believed
the earth was created as we see it by God in six days. Again, scoff if you will but the
Congressman’s thinking was accepted by the best minds in the West until the early 19th century
when modern geology was first postulated but slow to catch-on. I contend that this type of
thinking, still with us today although not accepted by most scientists, held sway in the West for
so long it makes us hesitant to be open to the possibilities suggested in Taoist folk history. It
certainly at first made me hesitate until I took the time to live with such notions and give them
lots of thought. While no one knows for sure just when acupuncture or the concepts of qi,
yin/yang, etc., first began, I do believe these go back much further in time than today’s scholars
tend to think.
The following material was taken from my first book “The Healing Power of Acupressure and
Acupuncture – A Complete Guild to Timeless Traditions and Modern Practice”. I wrote that
book for the general public because I wanted to try to help the public see that acupuncture and
its traditional theories were founded on rational principals. I have tried to rewrite this material
for acupuncturists but some of the language used may still read as written more for the public
than specialists.
I don’t at all believe I have solved the mystery of acupuncture and Chinese medicine theories’
origins but I hope I have put forward some detailed and rational ideas on the subject. I also
hope others will find this subject of interest and value.

Matthew Bauer, 2012

© Matthew Bauer L.Ac.
On the Origins of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Theory

HOW OLD IS ACUPUNCTURE?

There are three dates often offered-up regarding when acupuncture first began:
5,000 years old – the dating most often cited in ancient sources. This date is also that of the
Yellow Emperor – the leader called the “Father of the Chinese people” - and credited with
developing such things as the compass and calendar and discovering the laws of Yin/Yang.
3,000 years old – the dating often cited by past Chinese scholars who began to question
traditional dating.
2,200-2,300 year old – the dating generally used by modern scholars/historians based on
available evidence.

The fact is no one knows for sure just when acupuncture first began. Complicating the
question of when acupuncture began is the fact that no one seems to know how it first began.
My research over the years has turned up five theories that pertain to the origin of
acupuncture. There is an old legend that tells a tale of an ancient soldier who was cured of an
Illness after being shot with an arrow. A similar legend says some aliment was cured when an
ancient primitive was stuck with thorns while foraging in the bush. A scholar who specializes in
the study of Chinese medicine speculated that acupuncture might have its roots in a type of
ancient exorcism in which a shaman uses a lance or sword to scare away evil spirits – this based
on part of the Chinese written character for an acupuncture needle and the lance/sword being
the same. This same scholar and others also think acupuncture may have evolved from the
practice of bloodletting or lancing boils. And lastly, there is an obscure reference, credited to
Lao Tzu, stating that the ancient Chinese noticed that when people became ill they developed
sore spots that later vanished when their illness subsided.

© Matthew Bauer L.Ac.
On the Origins of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Theory

The first theory - that of the ancient soldier and his lucky arrow - is the one found most often
in non-scholarly sources. I have never run across any specific details associated with this theory
such as what region of China this incident was supposed to have occurred in, when it may have
happened, or what kind of problem was supposedly cured. Most legends of important people
or events usually contain ample details to support the main theme – although these may vary
as the legend is retold. The lack of details associated with this legend causes me to wonder if
this theory might not have been a wild guess someone once made when trying to imagine how
the idea of poking needles in people began. The same goes for the thorn theory. If no other
credible theories were put forward to challenge these, they may have survived over time by
default.
The theory that the inspiration for acupuncture may be traced to rituals utilizing swords or
lances to chase evil spirits away was suggested by the historian Dr. Paul U. Unschuld in his fine
book "Medicine in China a History of Ideas” (University of California Press, 1985). While Dr.
Unschuld offered his theory as a possibility, he is not insistent on the idea and states flatly on
page 94 of the same book that… “The origin of acupuncture in China is not clear.” Dr. Unschuld
also thinks the theory that acupuncture evolved from bloodletting is a viable possibility.
While not wishing to discount these theories entirely, I believe the theory attributed to Lao
Tzu dealing with sore spots is the most plausible. The mystic sage Lao Tzu is well-known as the
author of the great classic the “Tao Teh Ching”. Few people, however, are aware that there is
another book attributed to Lao Tzu titled the “Hua Hu Ching” which translates as “The Classic of
Refining and Transforming the Rough and Undeveloped” (sometimes translated as “Teaching
© Matthew Bauer L.Ac.
On the Origins of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Theory

the Barbarians”). I began my study of this book in 1978 when I took a series of classes on it
from Master Ni as he was readying this work for publication. He published this 1979, together
with his translation of the Tao Teh Ching under the title “The Complete Works of Lao Tzu.”
Master Ni’s publication was the first English translation of the Hua Hu Ching and was perhaps
the only complete copy of this teaching anywhere in the world.
The format of the Hua Hu Ching is that of a dialog between Lao Tzu and a bright student,
very much like the dialog between the court physician and the Yellow Emperor in the Yellow
Emperor’s Classic. In the 14th century, Emperor Shuen Ti ordered the Hua Hu Ching destroyed,
as some believed the student being taught by Lao Tzu might have been the Buddha (although
this is not stated in this book). As Buddhism was the prominent religion in China at that time,
religious leaders felt such beliefs would undermine the authority of Buddhism and convinced
the Emperor to destroy this ancient text. The Hua Hu Ching and the Buddhist classic the
“Diamond Sutra” are virtually the same teaching except the Hua Hu Ching is more than twice as
long covering many more topics including the inspiration for acupuncture. It was only through
oral transmission within Master Ni’s Taoist lineage that he was able to translate and publish this
work.
The Hua Hu Ching is a comprehensive treatise on profound spiritual concepts that form the
core of Taoist philosophy. In one section of this work, Lao Tzu briefly describes twenty “Taoist
Holistic Sciences” including “Yi Yau” – the science of healing. Here Lao Tzu was recorded as
stating…

© Matthew Bauer L.Ac.
On the Origins of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Theory

“The ancient sages intuitively discovered that there were certain points on the body which
became tender when the person became ill. When the illness had gone away, the tenderness
was also gone. They discovered that by manipulating these points they could influence the
internal organs and thus cure the disease. This is how acupuncture and acupressure developed.”
(P. 142, The Complete Works of Lao Tzu, by Taoist Master Ni, Hua-Ching, First Edition, The
Shrine of the Eternal Breath of Tao, publisher)

While my study of Taoist folk history and my respect for Master Ni may have biased me
toward believing traditional claims, the main reason I find the theory regarding sore spots the
most likely is the experience I have had learning and practicing acupuncture and acupressure.
In my practice, I sometimes refer to the work I do as the “Science of sore spots”, because
finding and manipulating such spots is so instrumental to the services I perform.

Did it All Begin with a Boo-Boo?

Most all acupuncturists have had the experience of touching acupuncture points that turn-
out to be very sensitive and surprisingly so to the patient because they were unaware that
point was sore. I call these “hidden” sore spots because a patient will not be aware of them
until they are touched in just the right way. Massage therapists often find such spots too.
These spots are unique because they are so very tender when even lightly touched although
© Matthew Bauer L.Ac.
On the Origins of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Theory

one is completely unaware of them and it seems that anything that sore to light touch should
have been aching without being touched.
Hidden sore spots feel like a deep bruise even when pressed with very little pressure. Most
who experience this during a massage assume these spots are just minor strains within their
muscle fibers and sometimes that’s all that they are. Some of these spots, however, are actually
of the type described by Lao Tzu – unusually tender areas that mysteriously arise
sympathetically with other problems. How did the ancient Chinese first discover the
relationship between these spots and illness? The answer may lie in a phenomenon all of us
have experienced but few of us have seriously considered, namely: rubbing a boo-boo makes it
feel better.
Bump your head or elbow and you will automatically reach to rub it. The same thing goes for
a sore muscle or joint – humans have an urge to touch and rub sore spots. This action is likely
instinct, although my research has been unable to confirm this. Whether instinct or learned
somehow rubbing these spots makes them feel better. The next time you bump yourself in this
way try resisting the urge to rub it. You will find it hard to resist and that by not rubbing this
spot the pain will seem to lasts longer. Virtually every primitive culture employs some form of
touch therapy and it is reasonable to assume these practices might have their roots in the urge
to rub sore spots.
Life in prehistoric times was difficult and comforts were few. Depending on how far back one
believes we can trace the human family tree, we can say with certainty that our earliest
© Matthew Bauer L.Ac.
On the Origins of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Theory

ancestors survived hundreds of thousands if not millions of years without clothing, the
construction of dwellings or the use of fire. Sore muscles and joints must have been common
and these early beings would have found rubbing these areas brought a welcomed measure of
relief.
Rubbing a sore spot (let’s call this the “primary pain”) helps it to feel better but may not take
it away entirely. Continue to probe beyond the area of the primary pain and you will find
“hidden” sore spots. Hidden sore spots on the hip or elbow, for example, often accompany a
primary pain in the shoulder – what acupuncturists refer to as “distal” points. At first, the
relationship between hidden sore spots and primary pains undoubtedly went unnoticed.
Eventually though, after observing that these spots appear and disappear together with
primary pains, someone came up with the idea that such spots may be related.
After the prospect that hidden sore spots may be related to primary pains dawned on our
ancestors, the next step would have been experimenting with rubbing out the soreness of
hidden sore spots to see if that would help the primary pain. It did! Rubbing out the soreness of
the spots on the hip or elbow that arise with a shoulder pain does indeed help the shoulder
pain feel better. The discovery of distal, hidden sore spots’ relation with primary pains and their
therapeutic value may well have been one of the most significant discoveries of ancient time as
it was the most critical discovery that spawned a healing system that has survived thousands of
years and has helped countless millions.
© Matthew Bauer L.Ac.
On the Origins of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Theory

While Lao Tzu described the discovery of hidden sore spots being related to illness, I feel it
more likely this discovery first took place in conditions involving pain as I described above. The
association of sore spots and other types of illness would have been the next major milestone.
Once the ancients learned the value of hidden sore spots in treating aches and pains, they likely
would have spent more and more time looking for these spots and their association with
primary pains. At some point, it must have been noticed that hidden sore spots spring up on
those individuals that did not have any pains but suffered other illness. Hidden sore spots on
the chest, upper back and wrists, for example, often accompany a cough. When the cough
subsides, so too will the soreness of those spots. Rub out the soreness of those spots and the
cough will improve faster than expected, just as rubbing out the soreness of the spots
associated with primary pains helps them to subside.
With this series of events, the ancients had discovered a valuable tool to aid their struggle
for survival and improve the quality of their lives. I like to refer to primitive touch therapy as the
“tool of touch” because I believe it was as valuable to our early ancestors as was the discovery
of how to make stone tools. The more they learned about where hidden sore spots could be
found, what conditions these spots were related to and how to stimulate these spots with their
fingers, the better they were able to treat a wider range of problems. Lower primates -
chimpanzees and so forth - are known to spend hours grooming each other. The early pioneers
of touch therapy, possessing larger brains and greater finger dexterity than other primates,
likely spent a good deal of their free time massaging their sore muscles and joints, perhaps
even doing this on each other in regular massage sessions as lower primates do in regular
© Matthew Bauer L.Ac.
On the Origins of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Theory

grooming sessions. Eventually, certain members of each tribe who excelled at the art of touch
therapy likely emerged and were recognized as healers.

EARLY WARNINGS

As generations of tribal healers continued to refine their ability to find and manipulate sore
spots they made the next milestone discovery: Hidden sore spots can appear before the onset
of pain or illness. The “Mo” or “Alarm” points used in acupuncture and acupressure are not only
checked to help confirm the reasons for a current illness (and for therapy); they can sometimes
serve as an early warning of an underlying qi imbalance that could signal a coming illness. Alarm
points can become unusually sensitive before disease strikes. How could primitive people have
discovered something so subtle and sophisticated?
When performing regular maintenance touch therapy on healthy subjects, a healer may find
hidden sore spots that do not seem to be related to any health problems. Finding new hidden
sore spots on a subject who does not have any known pains or symptoms of illness is not
unusual. As we considered earlier, sometimes these spots are just minor strains within muscle
tissues. These spots heal quickly and are not related to other physical problems. Some ancient
healers must have noticed however, that certain subjects with these “unrelated” hidden sore
spots later developed a pain or illness that the hidden spots were related to. Hidden sore spots
© Matthew Bauer L.Ac.