Cosmetic Acupuncture as a New Anti-Aging Weapon - Research Paper Example

The first documentation on acupuncture can be found in ancient Chinese texts before the Common Era. There have been archaeological evidence of sharpened bones and stones said to have been used as acupuncture instruments. The first ever documentation describing acupuncture is The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine which dates back to 100 BCE (Curran, 2008, p.777). Over the subsequent centuries, acupuncture continued to develop and became more enhanced. Acupuncture grew to become one of the leading Chinese modes of treatment apart from using traditional herbs, heat (moxibustion) and massages.

Within the period ranging from 1368-1644, under the Ming Dynasty regime, it saw the publication of The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Landgren, 2008, p.3). The publication has come to form original foundations upon which modern acupuncture is performed. In the periodical, it outlines different channels and openings represented by 365 points which facilitate the flow of Qi energy after inserting needles on the skin (Landgren, 2008, p.3). However, during the seventeenth century, acupuncture practices declined in China as people have begun to view them as irrational and superstitious.

In 1822, it was expunged from Imperial Medical Institute following a decree by the Emperor (Porter and Tidy, 2013, p.403). Most of the Chinese health practitioners begun to adopt a western form of medication, though in 1949 after Communist regime took power, all traditional types of medication inducing acupuncture were restored in consensus known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (White and Ernst, 2004,p.662). Institutes that adopted the practices were later established all over China. Scientific studies relating to its practice similarly occurred and as such, acupuncture begun to spread into other countries.

A considerable number of government officials started to embrace the use of acupuncture as a treatment for certain conditions. According to Doran (2007), acupuncture can play an essential role in hormonal balances and elevating blood circulation. Additionally, in women, acupuncture will aid in estrogen balance within their neuroendocrine system (Doran, 2007). The benefit of this is that women tend to have low estrogen levels as they age which brings about increased levels of skin aging. However, through restoring the hormonal balance, it will allow for more estrogen production thus hindering the aging process and dry skin that result from menopause (Doran, 2007).

Due to the positive health outcomes associated with acupuncture, it has seen an establishment of bodies to regulate its practice in various western nations such as the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) in the UK. More importantly, apart from treating various illnesses, acupuncture has found its way into the cosmetic industry. The use of Facial Enhancement Acupuncture (FEA) is performed around a client’s neck, face, and head. A considerable number of acupuncturist and patients seeking facial and cosmetic acupuncture tend to focus on outer wrinkles, sagging jowls or wrinkle lines indicating they do not incorporate TCM and the 5Es.

The main reason for this is that a considerable number of acupuncturists do not know the importance of 5Es and TCM when it comes to facial and cosmetic acupuncture. Ancient Chinese texts show that Five Elements have widely been used in TCM as a means of diagnosis and treatment. These Five Elements include fire, earth, metal, water, and wood (Thambirajah, 2009, p.28)