open points, according to their actions, according to indications, according to the theory of the 5
Tranporting points, and many others. Furthermore, there are many national variations in the style
of acupuncture so that, for example, Japanese and Korean acupuncture are quite different from
Chinese acupuncture.
However, it could be said that all the different ways of choosing points can be narrowed down to
two basic variations: selecting a point according to its particular action, function, nature or
quality, or selecting a point according to its position and dynamics within the channel system.
The former approach emphasizes the role of the point in isolation from the channels, while the
latter emphasizes the role of the point within the channel system. For example, one can use
LIV-2 Xingjian for its action of draining Liver-Fire, or one can select it to draw Qi downwards
within the Liver channel: the former approach relies on an intrinsic quality of LIV-2 in draining
Fire ("because" it is the Fire point), while the latter approach makes use of the point's dynamics
within the channel. When LIV-2 is used in this way to draw Qi downwards, the fact that it is the
Fire point is irrelevant, as the point is seen not in isolation but in relation to the channel's flow of
Qi.
The Chinese stress on needle manipulation (present in all acupuncture classics) is based on
viewing points in isolation, e.g. ST-40 Fenglong (needled with reducing method) to resolve
Phlegm.
These two ways of looking at a point, in isolation or in relation to the channel's flow of Qi, have
developed in parallel ever since the very early times of Chinese medicine. In fact, while the
"Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine" (c. 100 BC) mentions at least 160 points and
often refers to their "action", the early Han dynasty's text "Prescriptions for 52 Diseases"
excavated from Ma Wang Dui's tomb mentions only channels and not points.
To look at a point in isolation and to look at it in relation to the flow of Qi within the channel are
not mutually exclusive methods; indeed, the best results are obtained when the two approaches
are combined. For example, returning to the above instance, if we wanted to draw Qi downwards
within the Liver channel, we could select LIV-1 Dadun, LIV-2 Xingjian or LIV-3 Taichong
with equally good results. If the patient has symptoms of Liver-Fire, then LIV-2 is the best
choice: by selecting this point we are combining the two approaches, i.e. seeing the point in
isolation ("LIV-2 drains Liver-Fire"), and seeing a point's action within the flow of Qi in the
channel (i.e. LIV-2 draws Qi downwards not because of a special quality but because of its
position within the channel).
In fact, it is good if there is more than one reason for selecting a point: this will make the
treatment more powerful and will allow the number of points used to be reduced.
However, selecting a point according to its energetic action and its dynamics within the channel's
flow of Qi, needs to be integrated with yet other factors. One of these is selecting the point