Acu Students Training With Virtual Reality

Virtual reality used to be something you’d see only in sci-fi movies. But now, virtual reality is becoming more and more popular, being used in everything from gaming to marketing to entertainment. And in fact, one of the most effective and popular uses thus far for virtual reality is with training, particularly in the medical field. And if the U.S. follows the lead from China, acupuncturists-in-training may soon be putting on those headsets themselves.

BodyMap is a virtual reality system developed here in the US that is being used at China’s top medicine university to teach students acupuncture. The program is sort of like a Google Maps for the body, showing 3D images of a human body and specifically in the acupuncture training, the different acupoints on the body. The major “qi” pathways, where the energy flows through our body, are illustrated as well, letting students more easily learn exactly where on the body they will need to treat once they become practicing acupuncturists.

Generally, training is done on 2D images or by using real people as models, but that carries both increased costs and potential risks. The software is used for other medical training purposes as well, such as brain surgery.

“There’s a very high level of requirement for precision in acupuncture teaching,” says Cheng Kai, a professor. “For example, there’s an acupoint called jinming, which is situated very near the optic nerve. Needling this acupoint carries a certain danger [if the practitioner does not grasp the precise depth and angle for the insertion of the needle].”

The founder of BodyMap, Sam Jang, says he was inspired to create the virtual reality tool for medical purposes after he received acupuncture treatment that helped cure his chronic pain.

“I met a Chinese medicine practitioner who cured my condition with acupuncture in just over a week,” Jang said. “So I was amazed by acupuncture’s efficacy and started studying it. We are the first company in the world to combine VR and acupuncture training.”

So if your medical professional of the future has been trained in VR, you have acupuncture to thank!

China Embracing Acupuncture for Dogs

In prior posts, we’ve shared stories of how acupuncture can help to improve the lives, pain levels and mobility in animals and beloved pets. This story is no different, but covers how animal acupuncture is now being incorporated into pet care in China, too.

According to a post last week from TIME magazine, China’s use of pet acupuncture is booming — which is interesting given their controversial, inhumane and well, complicated history of relationships with dogs. 

While tons of animal activists are consistently making efforts to improve the lives of dogs and save them from the infamous Yulin Dog Meat Festival, other Chinese households are expanding their love and appreciation for our four-legged friends, and we couldn't be happier.

Some are even turning to the Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine. And Neurology Animal Health Center, seeking acupuncture treatments to help their pets with a wide range of issues and discomforts.

The TIME article quotes dog owner Mr. Wang, who brought his toy poodle to the acupuncture clinic after being involved in a car accident. Of the treatment experience he said, “ I think the treatment works, because now my dog  can stand up with just a little help, so I’m optimist about his recovery.”

Acupuncturist Jin Rishan explained that human and dog acupuncture are quite similar saying, “Acupuncture for pets is almost the same as that for humans,” and, “You have to figure out the main and accompany acupoints based on the disease.”

We love that more and more people and countries are beginning to incorporate acupuncture into animal care, as the therapy and it’s benefits does not have to be limited to humans.

While we only treat humans at NJ Acupuncture Center, we love our furry friends and are thrilled they are experiencing the healing benefits of the practice.