Features of Acupoint Therapy
In traditional Chinese medicine, the meridian system provides distributing channels for the fundamental substances such as qi, blood, and body fluids. The flow of qi in the meridian system concentrates or "injects" in certain areas of the body surface. These areas, located externally and superficially, are very small, and are known as "acupoints" or "acupuncture points." Although acupoints are located on the body's surface, they play critical roles in connecting the upper and lower as well as internal and external parts of the body.
Acupoints are where acupuncture is performed, applying stimulations to them can regulate organ and meridian functioning, and thereby enhancing overall health. Understanding the therapeutic properties of acupoint is fundamental for acupuncture prescriptions, aiding in flexible clinical applications.
Acupoints are where acupuncture is performed, applying stimulations to them can regulate organ and meridian functioning, and thereby enhancing overall health. Understanding the therapeutic properties of acupoint is fundamental for acupuncture prescriptions, aiding in flexible clinical applications.
1. Local effects: This is a common feature for all the acupoints, that stimulating an acupoint can affect the local region, nearby tissues and organs. For example, feng chi (Gb 20, located in the depression at the hairline behind the head) is indicated for head and eye problems; zhong wan (Cv 12, located in the center of the upper abdomen) is indicated for the stomach and duodenal problems; he gu (Li 4, palm web between the thumb and index finger) is indicated for wrist problems. In an acupuncture prescription, some acupoints are usually selected based on the diseased location, rather than specific to conditions. Therefore, physicians will first identify the exact pathological location, and then select the right points accordingly.
2. Remote effects: Acupoints, especially those located in the distal part of the limbs, can also treat distant organs and tissues along the meridian's pathway, even affecting the entire body. This means that stimulating an acupoint can have widespread therapeutic effects beyond just the local area. In addition, some acupoints can create particular phenomena, for example, zu san li (St 36) can induce generalized enhancement while ren zhong (Gv 26) and hui yin (Cv 1) can induce respiratory excitement. However, these remote effects are not specific, because an acupoint can act on multiple systems, e.g. zu san li (St 36) has its effect on digestion, respiration, circulation and immune defense systems; several acupoints such as zu san li (St 36), qu chi (Li 11), he gu (Li 4), nei guan (Pc 6) and tai chong (Lr 3) can all lower blood pressure. Sometimes combining acupoints together can create mutual enhancement or inhibition results, for example, nei guan (Pc 6) regulates the heartbeat, but when combined with jiao xin (Ki 8), the effect is diminished. In general, acupoints on the head and trunk are less likely to have these remote effects.
3. Dual regulatory effects: The functional state of body has a great influence on the effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy, meaning the same acupoint can produce two opposite effects on different pathological states of the body. This allows for a versatile approach in acupuncture treatments, where the same point can be used to either stimulate or calm the body's functions depending on the specific condition being treated. For example, when the heartbeat is fast, needling the nei guan (Pc 6) can make it slower, on the other hand, a slow heartbeat can be made faster by needling on nei guan (Pc6). The acupoint he gu (Li 4) can be used to induce sweating in feverish conditions, but when the patient already has profuse sweating, it can then be used to arrest sweating. The acupoint tian shu (St 25) is indicated for both diarrhea and constipation too.
