Fitting Together Holistic Health

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medicine that is used to help restore health. By focusing on specific points in the body, acupuncturists are able to find the way in which the body’s energy is flowing and find new ways to make sure that everything flows properly. This helps one to remain balanced and holistically healthy.

Most of us know that acupuncture will find specific points in the body and place needles in that area in order to restore or unblock energy in the body. Understanding the different points that an acupuncturist looks for will help one to understand why the different points of the body and how these link together in this form of Chinese medicine.

The first sets of points that are used in acupuncture are transporting points. There are five known transporting points that are focused on throughout the body. These will mostly be found in the legs and arms. Each of these transporting points is named after characteristics of water, and all hold the same characteristics that a water form would. For example, the sea is where the points connect energy with the body to the organs because it is a set of deeper points in the body.

From here, the points will be determined by the five elements of the earth. These are usually found at finger and toe tips in the body. For an acupuncturist, it is important that the five elements are represented and flowing with the right Qi in all of the points that they should be found. Yuan-source points are also important to examine. These are the points that will link all of the organs together. Each point represents one organ.

If you have ever seen acupuncture at work, you know that the needles will all be placed into a person’s body at different lengths. This also links directly to the points that are being examined in the body. The shallowest set of points is known as the Xi-Accumulating Cleft Points. These are wider and shallower spots that make it easy for Qi to become blocked. The upper third of the body has a special set of points that will be used. These are known as the window to sky points and are directly linked to one’s spirit and relationship from heaven to earth.

Mu-Front-Alarm Points are also examined. These are in the front of the body and are also associated with organs. Only the organs that have been diagnosed as blocked will have needles placed to help their flow. Of course, everything that is done to the front also has to be done to the back. Shu-Back Points are the points that correspond with the front diagnosis, only on the other side of the body.

Knowing the different points as an acupuncturist is one of the most important parts of understanding how to heal. By beginning this process and finding the points that need different types of Qi unblocked, one will begin to feel the difference and begin to heal.