East Asian neighbours readjusting acupuncture points

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2005

TOKYO (AFP) — Japan, China and South Korea plan to standardise "acupuncture points" which have subtly shifted through their separate practices in the 2,000-year old Chinese-born therapy.

In a project organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) since last March, the three East Asian nations have found differences in the locations of 92 of the 361 basic acupuncture points, the Asahi Shimbun said Monday.

In October, experts from the three countries agreed to standardise the locations of 77 points with the 15 others to be dealt with by the middle of this year, the influential Japanese newspaper said.

The WHO is expected to formally determine the basic acupuncture points in 2006 to help disseminate Oriental medicine which has been gaining recognition in the...