- Xue (cavities) in Chinese
- Areas near the surface of the body from which the qi is accessible
- Small as a millimeter to as large as a quarter
- 361 points on Meridians, not counting bilateral pairs
- 40 main “extra” points not located on Meridians
- “Ahshi” points – where it hurts, can be anywhere
- Traditional functions and indications
- More than one function, sometimes seemingly unrelated (plus combinations with other points)
- Control qi and blood of the local area
- Traditional locations
- Based on precise anatomical measurements and anatomical landmarks
- Traditional ways to needle each point
- Angle and depth of needle
- Needle technique
Acupuncture Point Categories
- yuan (source)
- luo (connecting)
- xi (cleft)
- 8 hui (meeting)
- 6 lower he (sea)
- 8 jiaohui (confluent/8 EM)
- 4 command
- 12 mu (alarm/front)
- shu (associated/back)
- 5 shu (transporting)
- jiaohui (intersection)
- huato jiaji (paravertebral)
- 9 needles for returning yang
- 12 heavenly star points
- 13 ghost points
- ashi points
A Typical Meridian Point
- LU-6 (Lung-6)
- kong zui – maximum opening
- xi-cleft point
- Location
- On the flexor aspect of the forearm, 7 cun proximal to LU-9, on the line connecting LU-9 with LU-5
- Needling Method
- Perpendicular or oblique insertion 0.5 to 1.5 cun
- Actions
- Disseminates and descends Lung qi
- Clears heat and moistens the Lung
- Clears heat and stops bleeding
- Moderates acute conditions
- Indications
- Cough, wheezing, asthma, chest pain, swelling and pain of the throat, loss of voice, febrile disease with absence of sweating
- Coughing blood, spitting blood, vomiting blood, hiccup
- Severe pain of the elbow and upper arm, inability to raise the arm above the head, difficulty in flexing and extending the fingers, epigastric pain, hemorrhoids, headache, clonic spasm