Atlas of Acupuncture

8.1 Point Categories

Points

Clinical application

Various approaches exist for needling the opening/coupled

points of the extraordinary vessels. The following method for

‘opening’ or regulating the extraordinary vesselshas been

used with good therapeutic results in clinical practice:

● Needle the opening point of the relevant channel first, then

needle the contralateral coupled point(opening point of the

paired extraordinary vessel). This will mobilise and regulate

the Qi of the extraordinary vessel, making it more dynamic.

● During a subsequent session, needle either thexi-cleft point

of the previously treated extraordinary vessel (➞8.1.3) or

add other channel points of the vessel(see channel path-

ways, chapter 5) during the same or subsequent session. This

will further support the dynamics of the Qi flow in the vessel.

In addition Maciocia (1989) and Kirschbaum (1995) suggest the

following procedure for ‘opening’ the extraordinary vessels:

● In women:First needle the opening point on the rightside

with even method, then the coupled point on the leftside with

even method. Afterwards other points on the respective vessel

may be added.

● In men:First needle the opening point on the leftside with

even method, then the coupled point on the rightside with

even method. Afterwards other points on the respective vessel

may be added.

● Needle retention:the needles should be retained for 20–25

minutes and should be removed in the opposite order.

8.1.9 Lower He-Sea Points

The lower he-sea points are used as the main points for disorders

of their pertaining fu-Organ.

Pairs Extraordinary Vessel Opening point Coupled point Supported body regions

(opening point of the paired vessel)

Pair 1 chong mai SP-4(gongsun) P-6(neiguan) Heart, chest, Stomach

yin wei mai P-6(neiguan) SP-4(gongsun)

Pair 2 du mai S.I.-3(houxi) BL-62(shenmai) Occiput, shoulder, back

yang qiao mai BL-62(shenmai) S.I.-3(houxi)

Pair 3 dai mai G.B.-41(zulinqi) T.B.-5(waiguan) Temples, ears, lateral aspects of the body

yang wei mai T.B.-5(waiguan) G.B.-41(zulinqi)

Pair 4 ren mai LU-7(lieque) KID-6(zhaohai) Face, throat, chest, Lungs, abdomen

yin qiao mai KID-6(zhaohai) LU-7(lieque)

Points and clinical application

ST-36

ST-37

ST-39

G.B.-34 BL-40

Stomach BL-39

Gall Bladder

Large Intestine

Small Intestine

Triple Burner

Bladder

● ST-36(zusanli): Lower he-sea point of the Stomach; indica-

tion: loss of appetite, epigastric pain and fullness, acid reflux,

abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhoea

● ST-37(shangjuxu): Lower he-sea point of the Large Intes-

tine; indication: appendicitis, diarrhoea

● ST-39(xiajuxu): Lower he-sea point of the Small Intestine;

indication: diarrhoea, abdominal pain

● G.B.-34(yanglingquan): Lower he-sea point of the Gall

Bladder; indication: cholecystitis, vomiting

● BL-40(weizhong): Lower he-sea point of the Bladder; indi-

cation: urinary incontinence, urinary retention

● BL-39(weiyang): Lower he-sea point of the Triple Burner;

indication: urinary incontinence, urinary retention

8.1.10 Meeting Points (JiaohuiPoints)

Synonym:Intersecting points (Practical Dictionary)

Meeting points (jiaohuipoints) represent intersections between

channels and vessels. Needling them allows more than one chan-

nel to be influenced and widens the range of actions of a given

point. By the same token, the number of needles may be reduced

while maintaining a good therapeutic effect.

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