Acupuncture Points

  • 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

LU Maridian Point Diagram

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

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