The Miracle of Acupuncture

Historical records tell us acupuncture moxibustion therapy has existed for more than two thousand years. Through the ages Chinese practitioners have enriched and perfected it with the theories of yin-yang, zang-fu (the viscera), channels and collaterals, qi (vital energy), blood and body fluid, creating a unique and effective therapeutic system. Acu-moxi therapy not only deals successfully with a hundred-odd common diseases – in internal medicine, surgery, obsterics, gynecology, pediatrics, etc. – but is of high value in the treatment of some difficult and complicated cases considered quite hopeless by Western medicine. It is welcomed by people in China and also people in different parts of the world for its unparalleled safety, low cost, lack of side effects and simple equipment. In December 1979 the World Health Organization adopted a resolution saying acu-moxi therapy would be applied to treatment of forty-three kinds of diseases, such as common cold, acute tonsillitis, migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, sciatica, gastritis (acute or chronic), toothache, and constipation. The decision is clear evidence of the full trust in acu-moxi therapy throughout the world. Chinese acu-moxi therapy embodies the theoretical foundations of Chinese medicine: the theory of yin-yang, the five elements, zang-fu, channels and collaterals, qi, body fluid, etiology and pathology, diagnosis, differentiation of syndromes, acupoints, technique of acupuncture and moxibustion, and clinical application. In compiling The Miracle of Acupuncture, the editor referred to Textbook of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Therapy, Theoretical Foundations of Chinese Medicine (for medical college students) and other works. The Chinese text was examined and revised by medical consultants, Dr. Tian Conghuo, associate professor, director of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Department, Guang’anmen Hospital, Beijing, and Dr. Gao Lishan.