Acupoint basics for those new to TCM

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Meridians (aka channels) are pathways of Qi flow throughout the

body. Qi is pronounced " chee " , and roughly though inadequately

translated as " energy " .

 

Along each of the meridians there are special points where Qi and

the health of the body can be influenced. These are

called " acupoints " .

 

There are 12 basic meridians named after Organs in the body. They

are the Liver, Gall Bladder, Heart, Small Intestine, Pericardium,

Triple Burner, Spleen, Stomach, Lungs, Large Intestine, Kidneys, and

Bladder meridians. Don't worry about remembering these. The list

is given just to give an idea of what the 12 basic meridians are.

The word " Organ " is capitalized when it refers to an Organ as

defined by TCM (Traditional ). TCM Organs and

anatomical organs are not equivalent. For now, don't worry about

that either.

 

In addition there are 8 Extraordinary meridians that get used in

healing.

 

Each meridian has a proper direction of flow of Qi. For example,

Spleen Qi is supposed to ascend from the foot to the trunk of the

body, and Stomach Qi is supposed to descend from the head to the

foot. When Spleen Qi falls (aka " sinks " ) instead of ascending like

it should, prolapsed organs can result. When Stomach Qi rises

(aka " rebels " ) instead of flowing downward, problems like acid

reflux, nausea, belching, and vomiting can result. Qi flowing the

wrong way is just one of the things that can go wrong from a TCM

standpoint.

 

Acupoints are points where Qi flow and the balance of the body can

be influenced in the body. These points can be " worked " by piercing

them with a needle or other sharp object, applying pressure to them

with the thumb or fingers or with very small balls or seeds taped or

bound to the point, massaged, or the applying of heat via a heating

pad or moxa (a special herb pressed into a cone or a pellet the size

of a rice grain and burned over the acupoint. Exactly which method

is best in an individual case will depend on factors like the nature

of the imbalance. For example, moxa is usually used when the

problem is Yang Deficiency and the person being too Cold.

 

From a healing standpoint, Yang warms, activates, and dries the

body. Yin cools, calms, and moistens the body. When a person is too

Cold because there is not enough Yang to warm the body properly,

this is called Yang Deficiency or Deficiency Cold. A person being

too Cold also can be caused by cold invading the body from the

environment or from the person consuming too many foods or herbs

that have a cooling effect on the body. This is called Excess Cold,

meaning the problem is coming not from there not being enough Yang

to warm the body properly (a Deficiency problem) but from there

being too much cold (an Excess).

 

The concept of Cold and Hot is one of the most critical in Chinese

medicine. In extreme cases, if the healer misdiagnoses False Heat

signs and symptoms as Heat or False Cold signs and symptoms as Cold,

death can result.

 

All herbs, other injected healing substances, and food have either a

heating, cooling, or neutral effect on the body. It's been learned

in modern China that prescription drugs also have a thermal energy

(heating, cooling, or neutral effect on the body).

 

BTW, there are acupoints which will release Heat from the body and

particular Organs when Heat is a problem.

 

The 12 basic meridians are bilateral, meaning there is one of each

on both the left side and the right side of the body. There is only

one each of the 8 Extraordinary meridians.