By David Park, Founder of South Baylo University
I have heard lots of questions regarding definition of acupuncture since South Baylo University (SBU) started to teach students in 1977. It seemed that Korea is not the only country applying acupuncture theories for treatment. Second question is what makes different Korean acupuncture from either Chinese or Japanese acupuncture.
It is true that acupuncture is traditional treatment theory that has been used in Korea, Japan, and China. But each county defines acupuncture in different way, for example Chinese medicine(中醫學) in China, Korean medicine(韓醫學) in Korea and Acupuncture technique(漢方) in Japan. During Japanese occupation (1910 ~ 1945), the term Acupuncture technique was also used in Korea. But after 1945, Korea decided to call acupuncture as Korean medicine.
Acupuncture and western medicine have different point of view of a human. Acupuncture understands a human as a whole and each functional parts and organs have relationships and they affect each other. Acupuncture theory also sees a human body represents a universe. Therefore, traditional Chinese Medicine understands human being is affected by 6 pathogens: wind, cold, heat, humid, dryness, and fire and that is not avoidable.
Another thing that make acupuncture different from western medicine is acupuncture needle. Moxabustion and cupping are also part of acupuncture but only acupuncture needle and its technique are the most distinct. Acupuncture technique is somewhat like injection in western medicine, but acupuncture treats symptoms by stimulation of certain acupuncture points instead of putting any medicine in human body.
I think there will be more works required to prove benefits from acupuncture treatment scientifically. Still, acupuncture has not widely accepted in medical field because there is not enough number of researches to prove benefits from acupuncture.
Maybe, acupuncture technique is not that complicated technique. I have seen many students perform acupuncture even second year of acupuncture school and even after few hours of lecture, a western doctor could treat patients with acupuncture needle. Even couple decades ago, each community had an acupuncturist in Korea. Traditional Korean hair pin was made to have sharp tip and the tip could used to stimuli certain acupuncture points in order to reduce symptoms like headache, acute indigestion, and neck and shoulder pain, and so on. Acupuncture has been accepted as an affordable medicine in Korea specially people could not afford expansive herbs for herbal medicine.
In America, still acupuncture considered more importantly than herbal medicine because number of American people understand more of benefits of acupuncture.
In order to spread acupuncture in America acupuncture should be focused than herbal medicine. Because acupuncture works faster than herbal medicine. It takes even a minute to reduce pain with acupuncture, but herbal medicine does not work as fast as acupuncture. And to be recognized herbal medicine as medicine in America, it requires scientific proofs to show its effectiveness and safety. The process takes time and capital and there are countless number of herbs and herbal formulas to be researched. Someday, more pharmaceutical researches will be required for herbal medicine even it takes time and money.
As an educator who dedicated 40 years in education in America, I would like to see more Americans get benefits from acupuncture and herbal medicine. Acupuncture has lots of benefits than conventional medicine.
