What Are Acupoints?
Acupuncture might have become a household term over recent years, made trendy by Gwyneth Paltrow, Cherie Blair and even Chelsea Football Club boss Roman Abramovich. Less often mentioned are acupoints, the specific areas that form the basis of the practice.
So what are acupoints?
Acupoints are specific points mapped out on the body which if stimulated have an influence on certain internal organs and parts of the body. These points can be called acupuncture points, xue, tsubo – or acupoints.
Historically most people link acupressure and acupuncture to the Far East, particularly China, but Ayurvedic medicine, native to India, also focused on the concept of specific acupoints, known as Marma points, which link energy channels to nerves, muscles and joints. Another common perception is that the practice involves the use of needles, but originally acupoints were stimulated by pressure through the fingers, only later did the use of needles come in (originally made from bamboo).
There are several hundred acupoints throughout the body, which are joined together by a series of invisible energy lines called meridians or channels.
Each of the meridian lines is named after the internal organ it influences, and includes:
– Large intestine
– Small intestine
– Stomach
– Gall bladder
– Bladder
– Lung
– Heart
– Spleen
– Liver
– Kidney
– Pericardium (heart)
In addition to these, there is also the Triple Energizer (TE) channel which is the least understood in Western medicine as it doesn’t link to one particular organ, but rather is considered to be the central body cavity (linked to the transformation, purification and distribution of air, food and water).
The meridians channel energy (or chi, ki or prana as it is also known) around the body, acupoints are the gatekeepers to this energy, and can be used to stimulate or sedate the flow. Acupressure/acupuncture aims to retain health (although it can also ease symptoms) and to encourage renewed vitality and energy.
Acupoints can be stimulated by a range of techniques including:
– Acupuncture (using needles)
– Moxabustion (older than the needle technique, moxabustion involves burning a dried herb, usually mugwort, on the acupoint, as thermal energy is easily taken up by the body)
– Electric machine stimulation
– Laser stimulation
– Magnets (linked to magnetic therapy which focuses on the removal of negative energies, magnets are placed on specific acupoints)
– Cupping (involves placing cups over the skin and reducing pressure to induce a suction effect)
– Acupressure (stimulation through finger pressing – of which there are several approaches including reflexology, shiatsu, tuina, anma and daoyin)
In addition to these standard procedures there are also other ways of stimulation, such as injecting acupoints with substances (especially homeopathic tinctures) which is popular in Belgium and France. Most popular techniques, however, include the use of acupuncture, moxabustion and acupressure.
The world of acupoints is truly vast, having been around for over 5,000 years it’s quite amazing how little the original techniques have changed. Originating from China acupuncture is now popular across the globe, from East to West, and it seems if current trends continue, there is little chance of its success slowing down.
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