Doctors working for the East India Company began learning and writing about acupuncture in the late 1700s. The ancient Eastern medical practice slowly began creeping into the West along with the increasing numb ers of Chinese immigrants.
However, in the 17th century, talk about universal energy (qi), energy points, invisible energy meridians, and the energetic balance of yin and yang forces ran totally against Western scientific and medical knowledge. It wasn’t until The Beatles’ Asian tour in 1964 that widespread public interest in Eastern religions, philosophy and culture took off in the West.
Then James Reston, columnist and editor for the New York Times, wrote an article on acupuncture titled “Now, about My Operation in Peking” from his hospital bed. It appeared on the front page the next day along with the Apollo 15 lift-off on July 26,1971.
Public interest and response were immediate. By 1980, the British Medical Acupuncture Society had been established. In 1999, the National Institutes of Health created the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and acupuncture was accepted as the most popular alternative medical modality in the US.
But it wasn’t until the 21st century that Western women learned what Chinese empresses were privileged to know 3,000 years ago: Acupuncture is not just effective for promoting health and longevity.
It’s also a wonderful way to enhance beauty and stimulate facial rejuvenation.
