Acupuncture's origins as a medical treatment for a variety of ailments date back to at least 200 B.C. From its native China, acupuncture's knowledge and techniques spread to neighboring nations, including Korea, each of which developed unique approaches to the practice. Korean acupuncture in particular is segmented into four schools, each of which shares the more individualized, constitution-based approach generally characteristic of Korean acupuncture when contrasted with the Chinese tradition.
Saam Acupuncture
Saam acupuncture is named after its originator, a 17th-century Buddhist monk whose techniques are still widely used. The Saam method attempts to trace the underlying cause of the patient's ailment while taking her unique constitution and current psychological state into account. This form of acupuncture is limited to acupoints located on the hands, legs and feet, eliminating the risk carried by some other techniques of damaging the internal organs. Like Taeguek acupuncture, Saam is a holistic approach -- treatment is not undertaken until the practitioner has determined the specific character of the patient's constitution.
Taegeuk Acupuncture
Of the four schools of Korean acupuncture, Taegeuk acupuncture is most closely related to the broader Korean tradition of medical practice, called Sasang. Essentially, Sasang is a system of classification, placing patients into one of four categories representing basic "energy discrepancies" between the major organs, according to ChangShik Yin, et al. Taegeuk acupuncture focuses on those acupoints believed to be related to these discrepancies, with the goal of bringing them back into balance.
Eight Constitution Acupuncture
Originating in 1965, Eight Constitution acupuncture is the most recent school of Korean acupuncture to establish itself in common practice. Like Taegeuk, Eight Constitution acupuncture focuses on energy imbalances between the organs. However, in this case, the four Sasang categories are further subdivided into a total of eight, each representing a major organ. The practitioner categorizes the patient according to his present state and focuses on those acupoints associated with that category.
Herbal Acupuncture
Also known as "pharmacopuncture," herbal acupuncture is also a relatively new development in Korean acupuncture practice. Originating in China in the 1950s, its most notable characteristic is its use of hypodermic needles instead of traditional acupuncture needles. Small doses of therapeutic herbal extracts or bee venom are injected at acupoints determined by the patient's constitution and symptoms. In some cases, the patient also takes herbal extracts orally. According to pharmacopuncture theory, this supports and enhances the effectiveness of the injected extracts.
Considerations
"There remains a lack of compelling scientific evidence to prove the efficacy of [Korean acupuncture]," report ChangShik Yin, et al. Although research continues, the practical value of Korean acupuncture or any form of acupuncture as a medical treatment, has yet to be firmly established and all claims as to its efficacy remain largely anecdotal. As with any alternative medical treatment, you should approach Korean acupuncture with caution. According to Mayo Clinic, the most significant risk of any acupuncture treatment is damage to the internal organs when needles are inserted too far. However, because Korean acupuncture tends to emphasize acupoints found at the extremities, the risk is relatively minimal.
References
- "Neurological Research"; Korean acupuncture: the individualized and practical acupuncture; ChangShik Yin, et al.; February 2007
- "Neurological Research"; fMRI review on brain responses to acupuncture: the limitations and possibilities in traditional Korean acupuncture; Younbyoung Chae, et al.; February 2007
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Acupuncture -- An Introduction
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