Great Question indeed!

So old is the history of Acupuncture that it’s true origins are shrouded in the mists of time.  There are a few theories though….

But first it is interesting to note that there is evidence of Acupuncture in other parts of the world, in times that predate the 5,000 year timeline of Acupuncture history in China.  Ayurvedic medicine in India had a tradition of Acupuncture that was lost and is survived by the practice of acupressure marma therapy.  There is evidence that they used Acupuncture in ancient Egypt.    The discovery of the Ice Man Otzi in the Italian Alps a few years ago shocked the world historical and acupuncture community as this discovery showed evidence that acupuncture was used outside of China and in a time older than was previously thought.

But indeed back to the original question….Why stick needles in people?

There are four main theories to explain the invention of acupuncture:

• The battlefield theory:  This one goes that soldiers on the battle field would receive a wound in one part of their body which would in turn result in the relief of an ailment in an unrelated part of the body.  I think Gary Larson made a far side cartoon based off of this theory a while back.   Is there any merit to this theory.   Perhaps?   We know today that part of the way in which acupuncture works is by causing a very small micro trauma to the body which brings about the body’s innate healing mechanism
• The acupressure theory:  This one believes that the discovery of the acupoints was the real triumph and that it was discovered through many generations of massage.  The masseuse would press and find tender spots along the patient, they would work on the tender points until relieved and then subsequently a seemingly unrelated ailment in the patient would resolve spontaneously.   This process was most likely involved in the evolution of acupuncture therapy but it still does not explain where the idea to stick needles into the body came from.
• The evil spirits theory:  This theory is concerned with the ancient time period in China where a form of shamanism was the predominant religious form.    Aches and pains as well as ailments were considered to be a form of  evil spirit or demon that had lodged itself inside the patient.  It was the job of the shaman to rid the person of the demon to cure their ills.  What better way to fight some evil demon spirits than to stab them with a spear.  So tiny needle spears were fashioned out of bone, bamboo, or stone.  The shaman stabbed at the evil spirits and the patient felt better.   I kind of like this theory….
• The energy medicine theory: This theory goes that people of ancient times were more in touch with the sense of energy within themselves and with the world around them.  (C’mon they did not have any blackberries, ipods, or T.V.s to get in the way of their energetic focus)   Therefore they were able to sense the matrix of energy within the human body.  They were able to plot the energy meridians which form the basis of acupuncture therapy solely based on their sense perceptions.  Needles were just one way to influence the body’s energy for these energy masters among others.

So what do you think?   Was it sixth sense, dumb luck, or just plain trial and error over a long period of time?      My feeling is that it was probably a conglomerate of all these theories.

The cool thing is that we have it today in the western world, we have practitioners that use it on a daily basis to get excellent healing results, and it is here to stay.

Bottom Line: Acupuncture Works