To find the roots of ancient Chinese medicine, one must reach back
through several thousand years of history. As early as the Stone Age,
Chinese practitioners were developing primitive medical skills to treat
disease. Generation after generation of medical practitioners made
steady advancements in the arts and science of medicine from this early
point, gradually forming the comprehensive system of health management
techniques that were used and written about by the prominent
practitioners of ancient Chinese medicine.
Acupuncture
was among the earliest techniques developed by ancient Chinese
medicine, its origins traced back to the primitive efforts of Stone Age
practitioners. These early medical pioneers learned to treat a variety
of illness and disease with stone tools, methods that eventually grew
into the advanced practice of Chinese acupuncture, still in common use
today.
Ancient Chinese medicine developed through the ages
from a basis of both theoretical studies and practical knowledge,
giving it a unique balance of intellectual exploration and basic common
sense. The concept of balance, or as the ancient Chinese practitioners
termed it, Ying and Yang, was central to the fundamental principles of
all medical treatments and traditions.
In one of the
classic writings of early Chinese medicine, Internal Classic of the
Yellow Emperor, compiled in the fifth century BC, the basic principles
of Yin-Yang and the five phases were explained. These principles were
already widely accepted, part of the philosophical thinking of ancient
Chinese civilization. The five principles provided an explanation,
unique to ancient Chinese culture, of physiology, pathology, and
etiology that provided a guide for the treatment and prevention of
disease and the application of drugs.
From these humble
beginnings, ancient Chinese medicine developed into an advanced and
comprehensive medical system. Many of the practices and theories of
ancient Chinese medicine are evident in the modern medical system,
particularly that of china, where the practice of traditional medicine,
steeped in rich history and culture, still continues today, right
alongside the marvels of modern technology.