„Etwas weniger wissenschaftlich ging es bei einem anderen Feldversuch zu: Zum 20. Jahrestag des Ötzi-Fundes wollte der dänische Tätowierer Colin Dale überprüfen, was an der Akupunktur-Theorie dran ist. Er konnte den Schmied David Schütze, der über Rücken- und Gelenksschmerzen, Asthma und übermäßiges Schnarchen klagte, als Probanden gewinnen. Ein Physiotherapeut und Akupunkteur zeigte Dale die richtigen Akupunktur-Meridiane. Dann stach dieser mit einer Knochennadel 55 Tattoos, allesamt Linienpaare in bester Ötzi-Manier.

Drei Monate später haben sich Schützes Beschwerden subjektiv gebessert. Das Rheuma sei fast verschwunden, das Asthma zwar wieder da, aber nur noch schwach, erklärte er Irg Bernhardt, dem beratenden Akupunkteur. Der meint, therapeutische Tätowierungen ersetzen zehn bis fünfzehn Akupunktur-Sessions. Wissenschaftlich gesichert ist das alles aber freilich nicht.“

http://motherboard.vice.com/de/read/der-aelteste-tintling-der-welt-warum-hatte-oetzi-so-viele-ttowierungen-394

„Far from their fringe culture past, tattoos have gone mainstream, and there’s a niche revival of therapeutic tattooing where artists experiment with adding different substances to the ink. Modern commemorative ink has evolved to another level with regards to emotional healing after experiencing a loss. There is a quickly growing tattoo trend that involves mixing the cremation ashes of a loved one into the ink of a tattoo in honor of the dearly departed.“

The Healing Power of Tattoos

„Es gibt Theorien, wonach man in der Tat vorzugsweise Arme, Beine und vor allem die Gelenke mit Tätowierungen versehen hat, um gerade diese Teile, die für das Überleben besonders wichtig waren, besser zu schützen.“

http://www.zdf.de/terra-x/rituale-der-skythen-5233712.html

A Comparison of ancient and modern Tattoos..

http://www.mindmeister.com/de/116660114/tattoos-but-why-a-comparison-of-ancient-and-modern-tattoos-and-their-meanings

„From a religious perspective, Polynesian peoples shared a widespread belief that the universe was governed by invisible forces that could determine, influence, and control the events of life and human destiny itself. This mystical relationship was forged by the actions of a large number of patron deities that held sway over daily activities, such as agriculture, fishing, navigation, warfare, and the creation of art forms including tattoo, while more “personal” gods watched over individuals, families, and local communities. All of these entities were propitiated with offerings and sacrifices and they were ritually honored in temples and other sacred locations to keep their favor close to the living.

Although priests had the power to directly communicate with these important divinities, so too did expert artisans – albeit in a different way. Properly apprenticed craftsmen like tattoo artists not only worked under the protection of one or more patron deities, but they also had the ability to control the supernatural force of mana that was distributed in natural objects and substances as well as in subjects, like their human clients. Mana was believed to have had an influence on all the achievements and abilities of humans, but it embodied living bodies differentially – some individuals possessed more than others.“

EMBODIED SYMBOLS OF THE SOUTH SEAS: TATTOO IN POLYNESIA

„Sure enough, Ötzi’s tattoos were on textbook acupuncture point locations. These are the same points that are used thousands of times a day to treat low back pain in modern acupuncture clinics around the world.

In addition to its better-known decorative purpose, tattooing has been practiced with a therapeutic intention for many thousands of years. With the benefit of written language and relatively stable cultural traditions, the ancient Chinese were able to refine and codify a pre-historic medical system that we now call traditional Chinese medicine.

In modern times, the practices of decorative tattooing and therapeutic needling have diverged into very different tribes. But they might claim a common ancestor—a wandering medicine man known as Ötzi.“

http://acutakehealth.com/tattoos-friend-or-foe-of-acupuncture

“The earliest evidence we have of tattoos, not surprisingly, is cosmetic,” says Lars Krutak. Tattooed on the upper lip of a 7,000-year-old mummy from the Chinchorro culture of northern Chile and southern Peru is a thin pencil mustache. “But, the second oldest we have is medicinal,” he adds.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-tattoos-be-medicinal-156450609/?no-ist

„Mysterious circle tattoos on a Peruvian mummy have been identified as containing burned plant material. The finding sheds light on a possible ancient healing practice that may have been based on similar principles to acupuncture.“

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19557-ancient-tattoos-linked-to-healing-ritual.html#.VNRYkFWG_mM

„Iceman’s 61 tattoos are organized into 19 different groups. Each group of tattoos is simply a set of horizontal or vertical lines. It is believed that the tattoos served a therapeutic or diagnostic purpose for the Iceman, because the tattoo groupings tend to cluster around the lower back and joints — places where Iceman was suffering from joint and spinal degeneration.“

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2015/01/30/scientists-mapped-otzi-icemans-61-tattoos/#.VNLISVWG_mN

“ She reported: “It depends on how much his skin has sagged…[but] most of the acupuncture points by T15 [new tattoo location] can be used to treat the symptoms associated with whipworms (abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea) and gallstones (abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting, etc), as well as breathing issues. These include Stomach 18 (in the 5th intercostal space), Liver 14 (in the 6th intercostal space), Gallbladder 23 (in the 7th intercostal space), and Stomach 19. Besides which, T15 is in relatively close proximity to the gallbladder itself, and where gallstone pain can be felt.”

Although Samadelli et al. (2015:5) did not directly address the possible relationships between the new tattoos and specific acupoints, they concluded: “Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the iceman’s tattoos were indeed applied as a therapeutic treatment. In future studies, the location of the new tattoos and its relation to acupuncture points and/or meridians should be further explored and discussed.” I fully agree with this statement (!) and hopefully this post will serve as a preliminary step in that direction.“

http://larskrutak.com/the-icemans-new-tattoos/