History
Chinese medicine is a system of diagnosis and healthcare approaches that has evolved over the last 3000 years. There is evidence dating back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1000 B.C.) of a relatively sophisticated approach to problems. Archaelogical digs have unearthed early types of acupuncture needles, and observations on medical conditions have been found inscribed on bones dating back to this time.

In keeping with the Chinese emphasis on the balancing and governing forces of nature, it seems likely that medical practices developed through the observation of the natural world. Many of the graceful postures of Taiji and Qigong stem from the observation of animal behaviour. For example, the movements of wild geese form the basis of Dayan Qigong, which relates these movements to the acupuncture points and the energy body. There is the clear evidence of a Shamanic culture existing in early Asian civilization, and many Shamanic practices are believed to lie at the foundation of Chinese medicine. By the sixth century B.C., the link between the Shaman and the medical practitioner was clear. Confucius is quoted as having said that "a man without persistence will never make a good Shaman or a good physician."

The practice of both acupuncture and massage developed in an empirical manner through the observation of effects they produced on certain parts of the body and on specific internal ailments. Early acupuncture was carried out using sharpened bone fragments before other tools were developed.

By the first century A.D. the first and most important classic text of Chinese medicine had been completed. This work, known as the Inner Classic and probably compiled over several centuries takes the form of the dialogue between the legendary Yellow Emperor and his minister Qi Bo on the topic of medicine. Over the following centuries, these basics were expanded, and specific works emerged on acupuncture and on herbal remedies. Right into the twentieth century much of the practice of Chinese medicine reflected the traditions that had developed over the course of the preceding 3,000 years.

By then, however, Western culture was also making an impact on China. The initial response was for the more traditional theories based on Yin and Yang and the Five Elements to withdraw under the weight of Western scientific determinism. By the time the communists took power in 1949, there was a real dilemma regarding how best to deal with the apparent dichotomy between Western-based medical practices and those followed by traditional Chinese practitioners.

By 1954, the governments officially recognized traditional practitioners as representing a "medical legacy of the motherland" and thus began a parallel development of Western and Chinese medical practices.

Texts from major teaching centres in China have been translated, and efforts have been made to make the principles of Chinese medicine accessible to the Western reader.

From The Complete and Illustrated Guide to Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive System for Health and Fitness by Tom Williams, PhD.