The First “Needles”

The first acupuncture “needles” in ancient china (during the Neolithic period) were made out of stones, bones and sometimes bamboo??? !!

In order to avoid infection, Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors had to be extremely mindful of the points they chose for each treatment. 

Totally blew my mind when I learnt about this because I never gave second thought to how the use of sterilized stainless steel needles that I use today came to be. 

My instructor at the time used this story to embed in his students’ minds about the importance of acupuncture point selection, and how the number of needles used in a treatment does not at all indicate its efficacy or intensity. 

I think of this story almost at least once daily when I am picking my acupuncture points to facilitate the desired outcome in a treatment. Less is more, and since each acupuncture point has multiple purposes, especially combined with others, it motivates me to stay mindful and to never stop studying and learning. 

Let me know if you found this interesting, and if there is something obscure or specific you’d like to know about Traditional Chinese Medicine, send me a message here or book a consultation at @acucollective or @eqlybrm

Photo from: https://www.drxiangjun.com/blog/interesting-tcm-facts-acupuncture-needles-were-made-of-stones-and-bones