Acupuncture points in medieval European medicine to treat pain and inflammation
Historical analysis published in J Acupunct Meridian Stud (2024)
Abstract
In the previous article, the author demonstrated the close relationship between bloodletting practices in medieval Europe and acupuncture in Traditional Chinese Medicine. This study aimed to explore how acupuncture-based treatment was applied in medieval Europe. The author hypothesizes that the physical stimulation of acupuncture points associated with bloodletting was one of the main methods of pain management at that time. The study examined the indications for phlebotomy as depicted in the original illustration from Practica Medicinalis written by the 15th-century Archbishop of Prague, Sigismundus Albicus, supplemented by two other European medieval medical manuscripts. A total of 76 distinct symptoms (corresponding to 25 bloodletting acupuncture points) from the Practica Medicinalis illustration were assembled into four groups: 1) Pain and inflammation symptoms; 2) Symptoms commonly associated with pain and inflammation; 3) General symptoms affecting various organs and functions; and 4) Conditions unrelated to pain or inflammation. Among the 76 symptoms and 25 acupuncture points, only nine symptoms and a single bloodletting point were not associated with the treatment of pain or inflammation. This suggests that acupuncture-based therapy was an effective method for managing pain and inflammation in the Middle Ages and that such treatment could still be valuable from a modern clinical perspective.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
Historical analysis of acupuncture-like points in medieval European medicine for pain and inflammation including bloodletting tradition.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This historical analysis examined medieval European bloodletting practices by analyzing 76 distinct symptoms and 25 bloodletting acupuncture points depicted specifically in the Practica Medicinalis illustration by 15th-century Archbishop Sigismundus Albicus, with two other manuscripts providing supplementary context. The finding that nearly all identified points were associated with treating pain and inflammation offers relevant context for ASH and hirudotherapy, as medicinal leech therapy shares historical roots with bloodletting traditions and continues to be explored for inflammatory and pain-related conditions. This study illuminates how blood-extraction therapies were conceptualized for inflammation management across centuries. However, as a manuscript analysis rather than a clinical trial, it cannot demonstrate therapeutic efficacy and should not be interpreted as evidence supporting bloodletting or leech therapy for contemporary pain treatment.
Citation
Acupuncture points in medieval European medicine to treat pain and inflammation.
Ivanov et al. · Journal of acupuncture and meridian studies, 2024
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