The first record of acupuncture is found in the Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine). This is the oldest medical textbook in the world and is thought to have been written about 4,700 years ago. It is said to have been compiled from even earlier theories by Shen Nung, a brilliant physician and medical theorist, considered by many to be the father of Chinese Medicine. Shen Nung documented theories about circulation, pulse, and the heart over 4,000 years before their discovery in European medicine.

Shen Nung theorized that the body had energy running through it. This energy is known as qi (pronounced Chee). Qi is the motive force of all essential life activities including the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical aspects of one's being. Qi travels throughout the body along "Meridians" or special pathways. The Meridians (or Channels) run bilaterally; that is, they are the same on both sides of the body. There are fourteen main meridians running vertically up and down. Of these, there are twelve organ Meridians and two unpaired midline Meridians.