A Study of Acupuncture 1601 – The Ancient Belief in Placebo

Acupuncture involves the superficial insertion of needles at various points on the body, generally called acupuncture points. Although the practice appears in ancient Chinese writings (see our article "Huangdi Neijing"), it may date back to the Stone Age. Physician Yang Jizhou's publication during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (The Great Summary of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), published in 1601, forms the basis of modern Chinese texts describing modern acupuncture and an extensive set of acupuncture points. (Moxibustion involves burning mugwort to produce heat.)

Although acupuncture has been used with some success to control certain conditions such as nausea and pain, a number of scientific papers have concluded that this may largely be achieved through a placebo effect and that more research is needed. For example, studies using sham treatments with needles placed at "inappropriate" sites or needles that do not penetrate the skin may sometimes produce the same effects as placing needles at appropriate acupuncture points. Nevertheless, placebo may provide genuine relief, perhaps partly by triggering endorphins (natural painkillers) in the brain.

According to classical acupuncture theory, health is controlled by a kind of flowing "vital energy" called qi together with a balance between two complementary forces or principles—yin and yang. Traditional Chinese Medicine manipulates qi using pressure, heat, and acupuncture applied to acupuncture points. Classical texts describe most acupuncture points as lying on 12 main meridians and two additional meridians through which qi flows. Interestingly, the meridians of traditional Chinese medicine, which prohibited cadaver dissection, seem to have no precise counterpart in modern biological concepts.

The Great Compendium synthesized earlier texts and unwritten traditions. According to Yang Jizhou, “The faster qi arrives, the faster the effect. If qi ultimately does not arrive, the patient cannot be treated." Acupuncture was banned in China in 1929 in favor of Western medicine, but the Chinese government reinstated the practice in 1949. In the United States, a significant number of employer health insurance plans cover acupuncture treatments.

Description of the article image: A model of a human head showing several acupuncture points.

Historical figures mentioned in the article: Gaspare Tagliacozzi (1546–1599), Karl (or Carl) Thiersch (1822– 1895), Jacques-Louis Reverdin (1842–1929), Sir Peter Brian Medawar (1915–1987)

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