Acupuncture is a therapeutic discipline that forms part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which consists in the insertion of needles in specific points distributed throughout the witdth and length of the human body.

Acupuncture-and in general all forms of TCM- are based on the meticulous observation of nature done by ancient Chinese philosophers (the Taoists outstandingly) who described the physiology of the human body through analogies of energetic states which they thought were common to all living beings and even had a place among the temporary oscilation of the physical universe in which we navigate through.

Unfortunately, the cultural isolation with which the chinese people developed until the first half of the XXth century made it difficult for TCM to be spread throughout the rest of the World. Therefore, the comparison of their theories and postulates with the baggage of knowledge generated by modern science was impossible. Modern science, thanks to succesive incorporation of better technologies, generated new knowledge in every discipline but particularly of the human phisiology at an exponential rhythm during the last two centuries.

This lack of confrontation with western scientific knowledge and the cryptic to some point metaphysical language which is used in ancient chinese texts were the cause that for many years, acupuncture and other techniques that emanated from TCM were considered esoteric, with no therapeutic value in a scientific context based each day on more objective and reproducible postulates.
Starting in the 50’s and 60’s years a phenomenon known as the cultural revolution was lived in China. In what refers to medicine and health the value of their traditional techniques and knowledge was recognized, and systematized in order to integrate them into a model of attention that incorporates the advances of scientific medicine without disdaining the benefits of traditional techniques, for the chinese government realized it would be impossible to meet the costs of free and universal modern medical attention (important postulate for the Chinese Communist Party) for their enourmous population if it didn´t incorporate the simple and economic therapeutic methods used with great efficacy by the chinese people through centuries.

A process of integration and systemization of TCM began, starting from the fact that its efficacy was proved according to the terms proposed by the universal scientific method.  In China, numerous case studies and reports were developed to support the use of these disciplines in the treatment of many diseases.  The result of this effort was that by the end of the 70’s years the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a verdict in which the efficacy of acupuncture is recognized for its treatment of some ailments, and all the governments in the World are given the recommendation of adopting these therapeutic techniques in their different health systems.

At the same time, the WHO has elaborated a document called “Guidelines for basic training and safety in acupuncture”, in which the necessary information is given in order that acupuncture is correctly taught in all countries, therefore used in a safe way.