Hello everyone, last time we have learnt renewal part of this course.

This course we will start to learn the second chapter, Approaching traditional Chinese medicine.

The main aim of this chapter is to help us have a elementary knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine.

First show to everyone that criticism of Chinese medicine,

supported by a number of different perspectives

and then have a look at the development of traditional Chinese medicine in the long river of history.

At last we will introduce the core theories and knowledge pattern of traditional Chinese medicine

so that learners can have a complete knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine.

We divide the second chapter into six parts,

including the rights and wrongs of traditional Chinese medicine,

the general discussion of yin-yang theory,

the enquiry of Five-elements theory, theory of zangfu organs and meridians,

the analysis of property of medicine.

First, we will talk about the rights and wrongs of traditional Chinese medicine.

It includes four topics.

This time, we will talk about how does acupuncture gain popularity among the world.

At present, if you can find a acupuncturist to have acupuncture,

it won't be hard for you to keep healthy.

Fifty years ago,

even in big citied in America or Europe

it was very difficult to find a acupuncturist,

So why are there so huge a difference in just 50 years?

During this course, we will mainly discuss about how acupuncuture is so poplular all over the world.

Now, I show you a picture.

Do you know who he is?

He is the founder of PRC - Mao Zedong.

Let's start with the prophet of Chairman Mao in the beginning of 1950s.

He once said

traditional Chinese medicine is a treasure

rather than an outdated thing

and it would be used by people around the world.

So does his prophet come true?

Yes, we can see that his prophet has realized.

Presently, more than 130 countries in the world are using traditional Chinese medicine as a medical treatment.

Over 140 countries and regions are using acupuncture to keep fit.

And it has gained legal position in many countries.

So, why would this prophet come true in just a few decades?

On the one hand, acupuncture is indeed the particular treatment of traditional Chinese medicine

with obvious curative effect,few side effect and has a great value of promotion.

On the other hand, Mao Zedong received traditional Chinese medicine

Aware of the efficacy of Chinese medicine

In the meantime, we cannot deny that

some people and events have played a great role

in promoting acupuncture into the international community.

The first one worthed to be mentioned was James Rist,

a New York Times columnist.

He paid a visit to China in July, 1971. Unfortunately,

he had appendicitis in Beijing and received appendectomy.

After the operation, he had andominal distention

and then Chinese doctor gave him a 20-minute acupuncture treatment,

which was a common treatment in traditional Chinese medicine.

But for James, it was a rare matter.

Therefore, he wrote a press release

which was pubished in New York Times on 26th, July, 1971.

In this piece of news, he wrote about his personal experience,

which not only introduces his operation and acupuncture treatment,

but also mentioned the acupuncture anesthesia study in progress in China.

This aroused the attention of people in western countries.

In his another press release, he mentioned the process of acupuncture anesthesia operation that he and his wife

watched in Shanghai's Huashan hospital.

He knew that he was not a expert in this aspect

In some cases not easy to judge

and he received an interview by CBS radio in which

he mentioned his operation and acupuncture again.

And this can be proved in a piece of paper.

Then, with James'position,

these reports of course can arouse attention of people in western countries.

But at that time, more they had was curiosity and suspicion.

Then, several months later, president Nixon paid a visit to China.

Some of his accompanying Americans said

they wanted to prove whether acupuncture was as miraculous as it was reported.

On 24th, Feburary, 1972,

general Hacker,presidential assistant

with part of members of American delegation,

in the third hospital of Peking University Medical Academy

watched an upper right axillary excision anaesthetized by acupuncture

It is said that the private doctor of Nixon president

watched this operation, too.

Prefessor Xi Yulin in that hospital mentioned in his memoir:

Reporter in New York Times once said

he no longer regarded acupuncture anaesthesis as a myth.

This actual inspection of acupuncture anaesthesis dispelled many western people's doubts.

Then, let us briefly look back to the history of acupuncture anaesthesis.

During 656 and 661, when Dee Renjie, a brilliant acupuncturist, entered the pass, .

he met a child at the age of 14 or 15

This child had a tumour at his arm, which was very painful

Dee gave acupuncture to his specific points behind his head

and his tumour was successfully removed.

This was the first case of acupuncture anaesthesis operation.

On 30th, October, 1958,

doctor Yin Enzhu in Shanghai First People's Hospital

after the approval of a patient named Shen Jigen,

gave an acupuncture treatment to his heku acupoint between his two hands

without any anaesthesis.

Then she used operationg apparatus to touch his swollen tonsils,

and the patient felt no discomfort or pain.

And his tonsils was cut out smoothly.

In the process of operation, the patient only felt a mild nausea and some few partial hemorrhage,

This event was reported on The Liberation Daily, Shanghai on 5th, September, 1958.

And aroused the popularity of learning traditional Chinese acupuncture all over the country.

Soon, the clinical application of acupuncture anaesthesis developed in a fast pace.

On 18th, July, 1971

People's Daily announced to the whole world of China's acupuncture anaesthesis for the first time.

Over 100 kinds of operation, adding up to 600 thousand cases,

this all contributed to the successful results.

From acupuncture treatment to acupuncture anaesthesis,

it is a historic progress in the history of Chinese acupuncture.

These innovative products attracted the world's attention.

After the visit of President Nixon, there appeared China heat in the U.S,

including Chinese food, movies, clothes and books of Mao Zedong.

And traditional Chinese medicine, like acupuncture

is also on the list.

And when Nixon's delegation to China back to America,

they also leart a human body model of acupuncture acupoints,

which was put on display in Beijing and Shanghai

when marked the 30th anniversary of President Nixon's first visit to China.

And some introduction of China appealed to the outside world,

especially American's attention to China's acupuncture anaesthesis.

Just as Ollie st. said,

when Nixon returned to his country,

he introduced traditional Chinese acupuncture to American who were fascinated about alternative medicine.

President Nixon's visit to China opened the door of Sino-American communication.

Afterwards, more and more Americans,

even reporters and scholars in the whole western countries had the opportunity to come to China,

and further spreaded acupuncture anaesthesis to the world.

In 1973, when American scientists saw a color documentary about an experiment of two rabbits

receiving acupuncture in a cross tubular way,

they sent a medical delegation to China

to investigate China's acupuncture anaesthesis and its clinical application.

Since then, acupuncture therapy began to

arouse western mainstream society's attention.

In 1980s,

it saw a boom

for foreigners to come to China to study traditional Chinese medicine.

On the other part,

WHO has found the prospect of acupuncture therapy

and has begun to popularize it around the world.

It established International Acupuncture Training Center in 1975

and released special issue of acupuncture in 1979

to introduce and broadcast acupuncture,

which can be adopted in 43 kinds of diseases.

Later on, WHO organized a series of activities.

And acupuncture began to have legal position in some western countries

and regions besides WHO.

It was Massachusetts, US that first admitted

the legal position of acupuncture in 1973.

And FDA officially relieved the restriction

on acupuncture in 1990.

Since then, acupuncture not only gained its international recognization

but also drived the regression of traditional medicine and a new wave of research.

WHO listed traditional medicine as its main working content,

and made some policies upon it.

Additionally, in Australia,

parliament in state of Victoria passed some plans in 2000.

Britain also founded the Management Committee of traditional Chinese medicine in 2004.

All these above-mentioned events present that the western countries have a better understanding of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture.

Therefore, the prophet of Mao Zedong is correct indeed.

So when did traditional Chinese acupuncture appear in western world?

Why did it have a huge influence only after the thaw in Sino-Us ties?

I think it is a question worths considering.

Then, there is another question.

Acupuncture anaesthesis is an important factor to promote acupuncture to the world,

but why it is not a common method using in China nowadays?

First, we will talk about the first question.

On the first question

It can be proved that traditional Chinese acupuncture,

except neighboring countries in Asia,

in history, it was spreaded to Europe via Arab countries.

Meantime, it was introduced to America and Australia by Chinese labor.

But it didn't catch the attention of mainstream society at that time

or was just used among Chinese people.

Since the regaining relation of China and America

and China can be equally treat by western countries,

they began to gain interest in Chinese culture,

civilization and traditional Chinese medicine

Although the essence of meridians remains a difficult problem to be overcomed,

they still accept acupuncture after the confirmation of its curing effects.

And at present, due to the difference between cultures, diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine

cannot pass FDA and meet the demand of modern medicine and pharmacology.

Therefore, they cannot be recognized by western sociey

and remains as folk medicine.

Only several regions mentioned above,

like Victoria in Austrialian are accepted.

Then ,what about the second problem?

Domestic scholars have conducted a lot of researches about acupuncture anaesthesis,

In December, 1997, in a meeting about acupuncture

hosted by National Institutes of Health, US,

Professor Han Jieshen gave a speech about the principles of neuro and chemstry in acupuncture anaesthesis.

Professor Cao Xiaoting made a experiment about the improvement of immune system by acupuncture and gave a speech of its

clinical verification.

These all testify that acupuncture analgesia is science-based and effcient.

And acupuncture anaesthesis has its specific applied range.

For example, it performs greatly in head, face, neck , abdomen, gynaecology and obstetrics and limb surgery.

Hence, after the heat of acupuncture anaesthesis,

we should return to a sensible level

and know that it cannot be applied in an extended range randomly.

Another reason is that

many patients know nothing about the advantage of acupuncture anaesthesis,

like free from side-effect, and so on.

So, they may not choose acupuncture anaesthesis.

So this reason is the root

cause of acupuncture anaesthesis not being widely used.

Ok, this class is over.

Next time, we will talk about whether traditional Chinese medicine has its value nowadays.

针灸如何红遍全球

中医药与中华传统文化

Conoce a los instructores