The human body contains a lot of pressure and acupuncture points. These acupuncture points can provide pain relief and affect an individual’s health and wellbeing.
According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a person’s life energy (qi, 氣) flows along fourteen meridian lines in the human body. Most acupuncture points are located along these fourteen meridians and connect with specific organs or groups of organs in the body. Our essential guide to acupuncture points explores:
With ancient origins in traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture points are scientifically measurable phenomena.
A growing body of research — including medical studies that take advantage of modern technology such as infrared imaging, LCD thermal photography, ultrasound and CT imaging — confirms the existence of cluster points in the body, corresponding to the acupuncture points of traditional Chinese medicine. According to research by Chenglin et al. (2013), these acupuncture points have a higher density of micro-vessels and contain a large amount of involuted microvascular structures compared to non-acupuncture areas of the body.
Stimulating these acupuncture pressure points is proven to help reduce muscle tension, improve circulation, or stimulate endorphins — all of which provide natural pain relief.
How many acupuncture points are there? While there’s no exact agreed upon number of acupuncture points, according to the World Health Organisation, there are at least 361 acupuncture points. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe there are more than 2,000 acupuncture points in the human body.
Do you have an ANTA-branded acupuncture or Chinese meridian chart available that I can include in the blog post?
Chinese Meridian: Governing Vessel
Location: At the top of the head, directly above the apex of the ears on the midline of the head.
Uses: The Baihui (GV 20) pressure point is traditionally used as a treatment for headache, vertigo, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and nasal obstruction.
Chinese Meridian: Extra Point
Location: In the centre of the forehead, at the midpoint between the two ends of the eyebrow. At the point associated with the ‘third eye’.
Uses: Applying pressure to the Hall of Impression acupuncture point can help calm stress, alleviate anxiety, agitation or insomnia, and relieve pain and headaches.
Chinese Meridian: Bladder
Location: 0.1 cun above the outer or inner corner of the eye, where the eye meets the nose.
Uses: This pressure point is one of the best acupuncture points for early stage cataracts and glaucoma.
Chinese Meridian: Gallbladder
Location: In the hollow on the side of the eye, approximately 0.5 cun lateral to the outer canthus.
Uses: This pressure point can help with conjunctivitis, sore or dry itchy eyes, early stage cataracts, blurred vision and headaches.
Chinese Meridian: Gallbladder
Location: Midway between the midline at the base of the neck and the acromion, at the highest point of the shoulder. To locate it, simply pinch your shoulder muscle at the base of the skull with your middle finger and thumb.
Uses: The acupuncture point can help with the treatment of colds, the flu, headaches, neck pain, fever, and lowering blood pressure.
Chinese Meridian: Pericardium
Location: 2 cun above the transverse crease of the wrist, between the tendons of palmaris longus muscle and musculus flexor carpi radialis.
Uses: This point is useful for treating heart palpitations, angina pectoris, nausea, vomiting, spasms and convulsions.
Chinese Meridian: Heart
Location: At the ulnar end of the transverse crease of the wrist, in the depression on the radial side of the tendon of the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle.
Uses: Stimulating this pressure point may help treat insomnia, depression, agitation, heart disease and fatigue, and relieve nausea and stomach pain.
Chinese Meridian: Triple Energizer
Location: 2 cun above the transverse dorsal crease of the wrist, between the ulna and radius.
Uses: The Waiguan acupuncture point typically used to help treat migraines, cold and fever, redness and swelling of the eye, tinnitus, and numbness of the upper extremities.
Chinese Meridian: Large Intestine
Location: On the dorsum of the hand, midway between the 1st and 2nd metacarpal bones, in the middle of the 2nd metacarpal bone on the radial side. To locate this acupuncture point, simply trace a finger down the palm side of the thumb until you reach the wrist crease.
Uses: Applying gentle but firm pressure to this point can help improve breathing issues and respiratory problems, reduce stress, stop headaches, fevers and inflammation, and relieve pain in the shoulders, teeth and neck.
Chinese Meridian: Small Intestine
Location: The depression in front of the 5th metacarpophalangeal joint.
Uses: Applying firm pressure to this pressure point can help relieve earaches, headaches in the back of the head, and neck pain.
Chinese Meridian: Lung
Location: Superior to the styloid process of the radius, 1.5 cun above the transverse crease of the wrist.
Uses: The Lieque pressure point is used to treat headaches, neck stiffness, coughing, asthma, sore throat and wrist conditions.
Chinese Meridian: Stomach
Location: 3 cun below the knee, one finger-breadth from the anterior crest of the tibia.
Uses: The Zusanli acupuncture point is helpful for treating digestive disorders, anemia, immune deficiency and fatigue.
Chinese Meridian: Bladder
Location: Midpoint of the transverse crease of the popliteal fossa.
Uses: The Weizhong pressure point is used in the treatment of back pain, hip impairment, muscular atrophy, leg pain, abdominal pain and nausea.
Chinese Meridian: Kidney
Location: Just behind the inner ankle, in the depression between the prominence of the medial malleolus and heel tendon.
Uses: The Taixi acupuncture point is used for treating a sore throat, toothache, deafness, tinnitus, dizziness, asthma, thirst, insomnia, lower back pain and menstrual irregularities.
Chinese Meridian: Spleen
Location: On the inner side of the leg just above the ankle, 3 cun directly above the tip of the medial malleolus, on the posterior border of the tibia.
Uses: The Sanyinjiao pressure point is useful in treating digestive disorders, hormonal disorders (such as irregular menstruation) and immune disorders.
Chinese Meridian: Liver
Location: On the dorsum of the foot, in the depression distal to the junction of the 1st and 2nd metatarsal bones.
Uses: The Taichong acupuncture point is used to decrease anxiety and stress, regulate menstruation and treat menstrual cramps, reduce pain in the chest, treat eye disorders, alleviate headaches, insomnia, and reduce high blood pressure.
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