Yakchim

Yakchim
Hangul	약침
Hanja	藥鍼
Revised Romanization	yakchim
McCune–Reischauer	yakch'im

Yakchim is one of many methods of Traditional Korean Medicine treatment. It is also called Pharmacupuncture, Korean Herb-acupuncture and Acupuncture with medicinal herbs).

Definition

Traditional Korean Medicine treatment of injecting herbal medicinal substances on the gyeonghyeol (經穴:Acupuncture points = the points of kyungrak (=meridians經絡)) which acts as both acupucture stimulation and direct medicinal dosage.

What is yakchim?

It is also known as Yakchim (藥鍼)Immunization, Suchim (水针), Yakchimyobeop(a method of treatment of Yakchim), Hyeolwi (穴位) needle therapy. It is a type of medical science of Immunity (免疫医学) injecting to the important gyeonghyeol (經穴:Acupuncture points) ingredients extracted from oriental medical herbs.

It can also be said that the therapy of a needle for acupuncture is a method of treatment stimulating the human body externally and the medication therapy is stimulating the internal organs internally. It has an intention of improving the effectiveness of treatment by enforcing the two therapies simultaneously.

In western pharmacodynamic sense, direct injection of medicinal substances into the body promotes quicker steadystate levels of substances either in the local tissue or in the blood stream, thus improving time-efficacy of the medicine (which has been a long concern when treating time-critical patients)

It was developed by Nam Sang Chun(南相千) from South Korea who had researched the formation of kyungrak (=meridians經絡) in 1956 and has strengthened the immunity developing into a specialty of acupuncture field and since 1963 he has examined closely the functioning of kyungrak (=meridians經絡) using a syringe with herbal medication such as sanjoin (酸棗仁), hwanggi (黃芪: Astragalus membranaceus Bunge), ginseng (人蔘) and nokyong (鹿茸: the young antlers of the deer).

It is distinguished that gyeonghyeol (經穴:Acupuncture points) has an effect by itself only with the stimulation of the needle, but can be achieved greater therapeutic effect with the injection of specific medicinal herbs. It is being researched and developed in several countries like South Korea, China and Japan and others, where the oriental therapies are prevalent. The department of the career of Yakchim has been implemented in the Korean Oriental medicine institute in August 26, 1990 in South Korea and the research and the diffusion about Yakchim( 藥鍼) has been progressing actively.

See also

• Traditional Korean Medicine
• Sasang typology
• Dongui Bogam
• Acupoint therapy
• Acupressure
• Acupuncture detoxification
• Auriculotherapy
• Chin na
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Dry needling
• Electroacupuncture
• Medical acupuncture
• Pressure Points
• Qi
• Qigong
• Seitai
• Susuk
• T'ai Chi Ch'uan
• Traditional Chinese medicine
• Trigger point
• Veterinary acupuncture

Bibliography

• Yakchim Association : International Society of Kyungrak Immuno-therapy. 

External links

• Yakchim Association

• [1]

References

Ahn Sang-Woo "A reference to the original source of herb-acupuncture in methods" Journal of Korean Yakchim Association 1.1 January 1997: 87-102 <http://kmbase.medric.or.kr/Main.aspx?d=KMBASE&m=VIEW&i=1138519970010010087 >