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Ancient medicine expert claims acupuncture as India's discovery
Chennai | March 30, 2004 9:31:47 AM IST

A traditional doctor from Chennai claims that acupuncture, an
ancient system of healing by manipulating the body's nerves, has its
origin in India and not China, as is popularly believed.
M.Muthukumar, a self-taught practitioner, says the art has been
taught to him by his forefathers, who in turn learnt it from
scriptures, which were of distinct Indian origin.
Though China has the maximum number of acupuncture experts and is
most sought after for the therapy, Muthukumr attributes the skill to
joint efforts by eastern countries, including India and Japan. "In
the Bohar 7000 (an ancient scripture), he (the author) has detailed
and clearly inscribed how he took the Verma art, that was being
practised in southern parts of India to China. Our Verma art deals
only with the martial arts but he transformed it into one with
therapeutic effects. This is how acupuncture was taken from India to
China, where they simply noted it as acupuncture but its roots are
in India," he said. Muthukumar runs a flourishing acupuncture
treatment facility in Chennai, thronged by hundreds everyday.

Under this treatment, special needles are inserted into the
acupoints, which are located just beneath the epidermis, a skin
layer. In theory, inserting these needles helps correct the flow of
energy within the body and thus relieves pain and restores health.

The therapist gently twists or twirls the needles for up to 10
minutes, leaving them in five to 20 minutes. They often also
stimulate the nerves with a weak electrical current or heat them
with a burning herb. Increasingly gaining popularity in the west, a
single session for acupuncture costs about 75 dollars to 100 dollars.
(ANI)