Blood letting In fact acupuncture was originally a form of bloodletting – the “needles” were really lances and the acupuncture points locations over veins to be opened. Chi, or the Chinese concept of the life force, was believed to be partly in the blood, and bloodletting could be used to free the flow of chi. Cupping was also developed as a method of drawing out the blood. But now it is used to draw out imaginary toxins. in the ancient medical text of Suwen... When heaven is warm and when the sun is bright, then the blood in man is rich in liquid and the protective qi is at the surface Hence the blood can be drained easily, and the qi can be made to move on easily… It can invigorate the smooth flow of qi and blood, thereby picking up and facilitating its flow when the qi and blood need invigoration. An example of this scenario occurs when a patient presents with a wiry pulse and mild feelings of stagnation that indicate qi stagnation.