Dao Acupuncture - John C. J. Chen, R.Ac., L.Ac.

The earliest use of acupuncture as a means of alleviating pain and disease dates back at least as far as the Stone Age in China. There is evidence that bian, pointed rocks and stone knives, were used for this purpose. With the passage of time, the stone implements were replaced by needles crafted of bamboo or slivers of bone. In the Bronze Age Shang Dynasty, the development of bronze casting techniques made metal needles possible.

The concept governing acupuncture is that the body is its own small universe composed of interconnected systems which function in balance to maintain health. The balance between yin and yang is looked at in relation to qi, blood, jing, the Five Elements, emotions and the soul. Thus, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, illness reflects an imbalance of some kind and treatment is directed at correcting the imbalance rather than at treating the symptom.