There are over 360 acupoints on the human body considered for martial application. Not all acupoints lie over nerves, nerve branches or nerve plexuses. Many researchers and practitioners of Kyusho Jitsu have attempted to map acupoints to specific nerves in the body in an attempt to explain the cause and effect of striking kyusho points by modern western medical science.

All of them run into problems sooner or later when they find Kyusho points not directly associated with the human nervous system.

This leads to confusion and hybrid nomenclature where some strikes or pressure techniques are referred to by the underlying nerve complex and others by acupoints.

Often both nomenclature methods are used concurrently. This approach can also lead to frustration and confusion as we attempt to look at ancient Chinese concepts through the lens of western medicine. Most practitioners taking this approach invariably end up with a bias on one direction or another.

While Modern Western Medicine (MWM) can trace its origins back to ancient Greece in the 5th century BC, making it 2,500 years old, modern ‘scientific’ western medicine can only be traced back to the 17th century, making it less than 800 years old.

It should be remembered that the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on 5,000 years of practice and experiences. It was not until the Opium Wars (1839-1842) that modern ‘scientific’ western medicine began to develop in China.

With the founding of a new China in 1949, western medicine in the region also began to play a large role in medical care. As modern (westernised) medicine’s impact increased, it led to the development of ‘integrative medicine’ at the end of the 1950s.

The Chinese have always sought to complement the efficacy of TCM with that of MWM. This integrative approach has produced astounding results.

In the early 1980’s, western medical profession and were astounded to see video footage of Chinese patients undergoing open heart surgery while fully awake. Chinese medical doctors used a process called acupuncture anaesthesia where acupuncture needling techniques were used in conjunction with mild sedation, a process called ‘Combined Acupuncture-Medicine Anaesthesia’ (CAMA) as an alternative to general anaesthesia and intubation.

Today, TCM treatments including acupuncture, herbs and the practice of Qigong are used as part of a holistic process to improving health and treating many ailments in MWM.