The Initiation of Chinese Medicine

The theory of Chinese medicine developed and expanded mainly from long term repeated practice and experience. As early as four thousand years ago, the ancient Chinese created preventive medicine in their struggle with nature and disease. During the process of experimenting with indigenous plants and most minerals as food, they soon understood that some of these substance could relieve or even eliminate some diseases. From this came the development of Chinese herbal medicine and its applications. Using the power of fire to warm the body also came from those times of antiquity. The ancients found that applying heat to the stones or hot sand, wrap with leather, or certain types of bark, could relieve pain or discomfort. Gradually, they developed the method of using hot compresses and moxibustion. During the process of using stone and animal bones for use in the production of tools, they found that when one part of the body is penetrated, a disorder in another part of the body can be relieved. Hence the entrance created a method of using stone or bone needles for therapeutic use. From these, acupuncture was developed and soon after acupuncture channel theory.