针灸在远古有不同的形式，不仅体现在如何选定的穴位系统，而且体现在激活穴位的方法上。

These days, acupuncture is mainly associated with needles, but its origins can be traced back to different cultures and included the art of tattooing, body piercing and stone pressing, as well as other practices.

In Europe, tattoos have been found on mummified humans who lived during the ice age between 3400 and 3100 BCE. Their cross-shaped tattoos were positioned adjacent to acupuncture points known to treat lumbar arthrosis, a condition that humans of that period suffered from. In Tibet, the traditional art of tattooing is still used today. Used with a blend of herbs, tattoos are needled into specific points on the body to aid in natural healing.

In China, acupuncture was believed to have started with Bian stones, which appeared in The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine (an ancient Chinese medical text dated more than two millennia ago). These Chinese stones were believed to hold healing properties and, when sharply pressed into specific acupuncture points, provide health benefits. There are over 30 rare earth and trace elements beneficial to the human body that have been found in these stones, such as strontium, titanium, chromium, manganese and zinc. They have also been proven to create Far Infra-Red (FIR) waves, ultrasound pulses of the therapeutic ultrasound range and negative ions, known to help with antioxidation (anti-aging) in human cells and DNA.

凡是存在的人，都有气，可以互相共鸣。

Qi is fundamental to the Chinese culture, but it can’t be fully translated into one English word. Strictly medically speaking, Qi is a person’s essential life source. It has three origins which include innate Qi, one extracted from food and drink, and one transferred to the lungs by breathing. Qi is everywhere. It is believed that a person who allows the Qui to circulate, protects him or herself from disease.

Meridians are the channels through which Qi is carried around the body, connecting the interior with the exterior. By working with the points on the surface of our bodies, we can impact our internal organs and as a result, treat their imbalances.

The Chinese have a broader definition of Qi: “Everything in the universe, inorganic and organic is composed of and defined by its Qi”. This implies that Qi is not only part of nature and the physical space we live in, but that it is also part of nurture which addresses our emotions. Because life is a balance and our existence can affect those around us, Qi is known to be transforming. This ability to influence each other is called Gan Ying, most commonly translated to mean “resonance”. When something resonates between two particular states and one Qi shares a similar frequency with another, a change occurs. For example, the Qi of illness can be transformed into healthy Qi by a medicine that resonates between two states.

古代医学体系超越了人体解剖学，相信人类与宇宙的相关性。

While everything contains Qi, it’s important to understand that the human body is much more than a single being; It is a representation of the universe.

In The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, the human is presented as cosmos in miniature, where the human contains channels, the earth is covered waterways and heaven is full of constellations. Where earth has winter and summer, humans have cold and hot. Where heaven has mornings and evenings, humans are asleep or awake. For the Chinese, it’s not only the way to describe the human body, but it’s also the way to explain how the components and forces of the universe (environment, lifestyle activities and medicine) share a resonating frequency that exists in each person.

The Chinese’ understanding of the human and his health was based on astrology and its principles. For example, by looking at the sun, moon, five planets and a person’s time of birth, they could predict a person’s destiny and health.

A numinous force ruled the sun’s path around the earth and also circulated in a network of 12 meridians with around 360 acupuncture points. Each body segment represented 12 Houses of the Chinese zodiac system and consisted of 12 two-hour (30°) divisions of the Ecliptic.

通道名称与它们的阴阳程度相对应（从太陽一到太阴），描述日月的位置。

五行或能量类型（水，木，火，土，金），描述万物也被用于针灸。这些与水星、木星、火星、土星和金星，以及这些行星在相应宫位的运行位置相对应。每个元素也可以用颜色、方向、季节、味道、内脏、身体部位等来表示。

这种对人的占星方法（论证"如上如下"）在复活节地中海文化和整个北欧也被使用。

翡翠碑》（Corpus Hermetica，公元1或3世纪写于希腊化的埃及）中的一节规定。"上面的东西来自于下面的东西，下面的东西来自于上面的东西，创造了一个人的奇迹"。

直到17世纪，欧洲的医生都在使用这种所谓的"星相医学"。他们使用行星转换表(ephemerides)，根据星相、排列和行星之间的角度来预测疾病。根据相关宇宙学，他们认为疾病是"生命力pneuma的流动中断和血液、黄胆、黑胆和痰这四种体液不平衡的结果"。

中世纪的医学手稿提出了人体的图表，上面布满了星象（被称为"黄道夫"），以说明它们对身体部位和器官的影响。他们还揭示了相关的放血穴位，这与中国的关键穴位分配（主穴、指挥穴、影响穴等）有相似之处。