Magnet Therapy - Acupuncture History

Magnetism is one of the fundamental parts of both physical and medical science.
In the nineteenth century, homeopathic physicians used magnetism for the treatment of many different diseases. This ancient type of therapy fell into disuse in the United States in this century.
However, it is now once again being allowed to fulfill its ancient promise of safe effective therapy. It is especially useful over acupuncture points.
This article gives a lot of insight into how it works and how it can work for you. This article is recommended for people who are concerned about their health.

Introduction
Truly we can find few publications or public media in the world today in which there is not anything about acupuncture and the wonders which it has aroused within the recent decade. All over the world there have been various seminars, conferences, books, papers, and reports on the subject published on one hand, and the exploitation of the modern techniques in contemporary times on the other. Those who live in Los Angeles have shown a particular interest in this matter and are curious to know what this ancient science is all about.

Unfortunately, one quite frequently hears some biased information about this science.
We need to know that a wide range of useful results of this medical practice have been neglected. I have decided to present this small collection of facts about the subject, and I hope that this brief description will be an effective tool in introducing the practical benefits of acupuncture. I have attempted to explain in Western culture, scientific language, and in simple day-to-day explanations, the magnetic treatment of diseases, which in itself is a new chapter in the world of medicine.
This new field of medicine will undoubtedly become a very valuable bridge between Western and Eastern medical practices. Magnet therapy, or energy therapy, will be the future of diagnosis and treatment in the world of medicine.

People all over the world are talking about acupuncture, which is a science with a history of two thousand years. However, the Europeans did not know anything about it until about three centuries ago, or at least did not pay any attention to it until then.

The French physicians are said to be the first ones of the Western medical world who turned towards acupuncture about 300 years ago. Since then, this particular method of treatment has found high acceptance in countries like Austria, Finland, Norway, Switzerland, England and America, within the last decade.

The International Sanitation Organization in 1981 formally announced that at least 43 different kinds of diseases can be treated by acupuncture. This organization organized a seminar in Peking in 1979 and invited all physicians practicing acupuncture to come and discuss all ailments which can be treated by this method with other colleagues. It was at the end of this seminar that a list of diseases that could be treated by acupuncture was published and made available in the special publication of the International Sanitation Organization for the public at large.

Unfortunately, the review of acupuncture and its vast domain cannot be completely covered in this article of this length. For the same reason, perhaps the name "acupuncture" for this new-old science of medicine does not seem to be quite sufficient and explanatory. Many think that acupuncture is merely used to treat or to sooth the pain of the disease, but as was explained before, on the basis of the affirmation of the International Sanitation Organization, at least 43 ailments can be fully cured by this method. Oriental medicine, or acupuncture, with powers as both a pain killer and a disease treatment having been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, should not be regarded as an esteemed and honored colleague when discussing medicine.

In the medical world, acupuncture is called the medicine of the East. This is because the native home of this sort of medical treatment has been in China. Yet, throughout the centuries, the Japanese, Koreans and many other nations of the East have added to it, and it is well justified to be called what it is, "Oriental Medicine."

Another important consideration is the fact that acupuncture consists not only of puncturing the body with needles, but also beneficial herbs which are prescribed for the patients. These herbs, which exceed 700 different kinds, are so effective that Western pharmaceutical manufacturers have turned to them to duplicate the formulas of their chemical products. To better sell the resulting products, they often claim that they have used the older tradition formulas of Chinese medicine.

Although a complete review and examination of the history of acupuncture is a very extensive proposition, and is worthy of a much deeper and more thorough investigation, it is also necessary to look into it in a very brief manner to get to know the scientific basis and how it penetrated into the Western world.

The Introduction of Oriental Medicine into the Western World
With the extension of Christianity into the Orient, the Christian clergies bowed to the wonderful remedial effects of acupuncture, and thus took very useful and extensive information back to the West as souvenirs to their native lands.

The first book about Oriental medicine was published by a man named Harvier in Europe in 1571. More than a hundred years later, in 1683, another man by the name of Ten Rhyne, who was one of the distinguished surgeons of the Netherlands, published another book on the subject in English. However, as we explained earlier, first the French became interested and the first French physician who began to treat his patients with acupuncture was Dr. Berlioze, who was quite famous in the field on music as well.

Later on Soulier de Moran published an interesting book about acupuncture that was 2000 pages long. Soulier de Moran, the famous French Orientalist, spent about 25 years of his life writing this extensive book in Shanghai, China. De Moran, who was not a physician, but an explorer of the world, was passing through China and noticed there was an epidemic of blight and that the Western medicines were of no avail. He observed with surprise that the Chinese physicians treated and cured the patients quite rapidly.

This curious Orientalist then returned to his country and in one of the most important medical centers, he put forth his investigations and observations. This information was so highly attractive that all professors engaged in that important research center not only approved of what he told them, but also requested that whatever he had learned in China be taught to the French physicians.

Soulier de Moran did as he was asked, and at present, there are more than three thousand physicians in France who are engaged in acupuncture and herbal medicine. Furthermore, the Institute of Acupuncture in France, which is affiliated with the International Society of Acupuncture, is presently one of the important centers of scientific and medical activities all over Europe. This is the same center which publishes a daily paper on the latest investigations of acupuncture, and holds seminars all over the world.

The Ancient Science: The New Technique
The Chinese discovered the direction of the flow of certain energy within the body of a man about 2000 years ago. They knew that this energy was moving in different channels and that each of these channels of energy were connected to the internal organs such as the stomach, heart, intestines, kidneys lungs, liver, etc.
In fact, the energy is transferred to these organs via these channels. It must be considered that the route and the directions of these channels are quite different from those of the nerves and the blood vessels in the body.
This energy flowing in the body is nothing more than magnetic energy, and the Chinese made a marvelous discovery because of this fact. The Chinese, after the discovery of these channels, found out that within this network of energy, there are certain points where there are more sensitive factors.
With these sensitive factors, one can either decrease or increase the flow of energy in one direction or the other. The Chinese physicians gradually discovered the therapeutic specifications of these points to treat various ailments, as well.

New and improved techniques of modern times brought forth another instrument that detected the acupuncture points of the human body. Before the appearance of this instrument, the skill of the physician was indeed necessary for finding the sensitive points in the energy channels mentioned. Now, this is not a matter of conjecture, but a complete certainty. This instrument helps to pinpoint the exact place because at that particular point, there is a different electrical charge than other parts of the body.

The new and modern techniques have also rendered another valuable help to the profession of acupuncture. This new development has come about by the ability to photograph the channels of the flow of the energy within a person's body. This photography is one of the marvels of the present era, and it is indeed a marvelous feat to photograph a thing which, even though existent, is not yet visible to the eyes of man.

Dr. Pierre De Vernejoul, M.D., an eminent researcher in France, who is the director of the nuclear medicine ward at Necker Hospital in Paris, with the help of Dr. Jean Claude Darras, M.D., Dr. of Aerospace Medicine and Medical Doctor at Necker Hospital, was able to photograph the channels of energy in the body by the injection of radioactive matter called technetium. Until the advent of this photography, Western medicine looked upon these unseen channels of energy with some suspicion and incredulity. The reason for this was quite clear; Westerners do not really care much for things that are not tangible. Ironically, it was a physician from England by the name of Sir Thomas Lewis who wrote, "There is an independent channel of power quite different from those of the nerves of blood vessels." Also, a Russian scientist named Sirgeyev discovered that even after death, there remains certain energy around the body which can be measured too. Yet, as was said, the people of the West only came to believe this when atomic photography made it definitely tangible.

There are certain examples of some similar phenomena. An electrocardiogram of the heart is a reflection of the magnetic forces of the heart on a piece of paper. An electroencephalogram is the recording of the energy of the brain. Since we now believe that magnetic energy is in the heart and brain, why can't we also believe that there is the same energy within other organs of the body which is flowing in its special channel?

How does this ailment occur?
With the discovery of this energy, it was clear that, so far, as this particular vital quantity of energy is in proper balance, the body would be healthy and in good order. On the other hand, as soon as this equilibrium was hampered or got out of proper balance, an ailment would appear. Now, it is clear that the appearance of ailments in every person would be different.

Contribution of Acupuncture
When this energy loses its equilibrium, getting it back to its natural balance is not quite so easy when using chemical medicines. The contribution made to this particular aspect of medicine by acupuncture is rather marvelous and miraculous because by using the method of this particular therapy, we can again put the body back into its proper equilibrium with ease and in a natural way. This is basically what the science of acupuncture is all about.

The dis-equilibrium of the energy in the human body can be three kinds:
1. It can be Chi-deficiency, which is a decrease of energy;
2. Chi-excess, which is an increase of energy; or
3. Chi-stagnation, which is a blockage of energy.