All Outputs (7)

Anatomy in Ancient China: How Acupuncture Meridians Were First Identified (2021)
Journal Article
Shaw, V., & Winder, I. C. (2021). Anatomy in Ancient China: How Acupuncture Meridians Were First Identified. Acupuncture in Physiotherapy : Journal of the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists, 33(2), Article 11-18

Acupuncture meridians are usually considered esoteric structures which serve as conduits for invisible Qi or life force. We argue, however, that the earliest texts describing meridians, the Mawangdui medical manuscripts, are in fact an anatomical atl... Read More about Anatomy in Ancient China: How Acupuncture Meridians Were First Identified.

Hiding in Plain Sight-Ancient Chinese Anatomy (2020)
Journal Article
Shaw, V., Diogo, R., & Winder, I. C. (2020). Hiding in Plain Sight-Ancient Chinese Anatomy. Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24503

For thousands of years, scientists have studied human anatomy by dissecting bodies. Our knowledge of their findings is limited, however, both by the subsequent loss of many of the oldest texts, and by a tendency towards a Eurocentric perspective in m... Read More about Hiding in Plain Sight-Ancient Chinese Anatomy.

Acupuncture in the Management of Trigeminal Neuralgia (2020)
Journal Article
Edwards, J., & Shaw, V. (2021). Acupuncture in the Management of Trigeminal Neuralgia. Acupuncture in Medicine, 39(3), 192-199. https://doi.org/10.1177/0964528420924042

Aims To assess the standing of acupuncture as a clinical tool in the management of trigeminal neuralgia against the current first-line drug and the most effective surgery. Methods Data regarding efficacy, side effects, and cost were compiled for... Read More about Acupuncture in the Management of Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Was acupuncture developed by Han Dynasty Chinese anatomists? (2016)
Journal Article
Shaw, V., & Mclennan, A. K. (2016). Was acupuncture developed by Han Dynasty Chinese anatomists?. Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, 299(5), 643-659. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.23325

Anatomical dissection has begun to reveal striking similarities between gross anatomical structures and the system of nomenclature used in traditional Chinese acupuncture. This paper argues that acupuncture point nomenclature is rooted in systematic... Read More about Was acupuncture developed by Han Dynasty Chinese anatomists?.

Divided maxillary artery in relation to the lateral pterygoid muscle (2015)
Journal Article
Aland, R. C., & Shaw, V. (2016). Divided maxillary artery in relation to the lateral pterygoid muscle. Anatomical Science International, 91(2), 207-210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-015-0289-7

We describe an anatomical variation of the right maxillary artery. The variation loops deep, giving off a middle meningeal artery with an extremely short extracranial segment, then bifurcates into unequal branches. The smaller branch passes superfici... Read More about Divided maxillary artery in relation to the lateral pterygoid muscle.

Meridians Under the Skin (2014)
Journal Article
Shaw, V., & Aland, R. C. (2014). Meridians Under the Skin. European Journal of Oriental Medicine, 7(6),

The physical nature of the acupuncture meridian system is currently the subject of enquiry. The original structural descriptions for the meridian system contained in the Huang Di Nei Jing, The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine, are detailed... Read More about Meridians Under the Skin.

Chōng meridian an ancient Chinese description of the vascular system? (2014)
Journal Article
Shaw, V. (2014). Chōng meridian an ancient Chinese description of the vascular system?. Acupuncture in Medicine, 32(3), 279-285. https://doi.org/10.1136/acupmed-2013-010496

The objectives of this research are, first, to establish if the extraordinary acupuncture meridian known as Chōng, Penetrating Vessel or Sea of Blood, is in essence a description of certain macroscopic parts of the underlying vascular system and, sec... Read More about Chōng meridian an ancient Chinese description of the vascular system?.