Acupoint therapy is a method in which the surgeon uses his fingers to perform different techniques such as pointing, pressing, pinching, patting and percussion on the acupuncture points and stimulation lines on the body surface, so as to smooth the qi and blood in the body through the action of the meridians, so that the functional activities that have been disordered can be restored to normal, so as to treat diseases. It is based on the theories of meridians, yin and yang, and the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine, and has the advantages of being simple, easy to learn and understand, safe and quick-acting, and easy to be accepted.

The origin of acupoint therapy is derived from the ancient method of massage; The other has its roots in Chinese martial arts. This method has been developed in its own system in Europe, America and Southeast Asian countries. At present, more and more people around the world are learning and using acupressure therapy to strengthen their bodies.

1. The principle of action of acupoint therapy

(1) Adjust yin and yang: the harmony of yin and yang will make the human body healthy, and the imbalance of yin and yang will be disease. If yin and yang are out of balance, it will lead to pathological changes such as "yin is prosperous, yang disease", resulting in the clinical syndrome of "yang is hot, yin is cold". The key to treatment is to adjust the prosperity and decline of yin and yang according to the attributes of the syndrome, so that the body can return to "yin and yang" to achieve the purpose of treatment.

The harmony of yin and yang is basically done through the compatibility of meridian points and the technique of acupoints. For example, if the kidney yin is deficient and the liver yang is hyperactive and causes hypertension and headache, the treatment should be used to cultivate yin and latent yang, take the Taixi acupoint with the tonic method, and use the laxative method with the Taichong acupoint to adjust the balance of yin and yang.

(2) Fuzheng and dispelling evil: Fuzheng is to improve the body's ability to resist disease, and dispelling evil is to eliminate disease-causing factors. The process of disease is a process in which good and evil are fighting each other. Acupoint therapy can replenish the righteous qi and expel the evil qi through the use of the technique to replenish the evil qi, enhance the body's immunity, and thus achieve the purpose of strengthening the right and dispelling the evil.

According to the mechanism of mutual influence between the meridians and the viscera in physiology and pathology, the effect of "passing through the meridians and regulating the qi and blood" is obtained by hand on the acupuncture points, so as to eliminate the pathogenic factors and cure the disease.

2. Indications and contraindications for acupoint therapy

(1) Indications

(1) Nervous system diseases, such as cerebral trauma and sequelae of surgery, sequelae of polio, cerebral palsy in children, polyneuritis, facial nerve palsy, incomplete brachial plexus paralysis, median nerve, radial nerve, ulnar nerve injury, abdominal and sciatic nerve injury, etc.

(2) Spinal diseases, such as cervical spine syndrome, stiff neck, posterior lumbar joint disorder, third lumbar transverse process syndrome, lumbar intervertebral disc herniation, lumbosacral and sacroiliac joint injuries, etc.

(3) Upper limb bone and joint diseases, such as periarthritis of the shoulder, wrist sprain, wrist tenosynovitis, etc.

(4) Bone and joint diseases of the lower limbs, such as sciatica, arm soft tissue injury, spasm of the adductor femoris and gastrocnemius muscle, knee joint pain and ligament injury.

(5) Others, such as headache, toothache, hiccups, hysteria, pediatric dyspepsia, colds, acute pharyngitis, enuresis, etc.

(2) Contraindications

(1) Acute diseases, including the acute phase of septic arthritis, acute abdomen, and infectious diseases.

(2) Severe heart disease, tuberculosis, cancer.

(3) Bleeding disorders.

(4) Severe skin diseases.

3. The main techniques of acupoint therapy

There are 5 main basic techniques of acupoint therapy, namely: pointing, pressing, pinching, patting, and percussion.

(1) Point method: that is, with the finger end or the tip of the elbow or the back of the finger, focus on the acupuncture points, press and press, poke and point, so it is called the point method.

(1) Single-pointing method. The middle finger of the surgeon is slightly flexed, the ends of the thumb and index finger are placed on the ventral back of the middle finger, and the middle finger is used to press the operation site. It is often combined with kneading method to knead for point kneading.

(2) Multi-pointing method. With the thumb, index and middle fingers together, tap the acupuncture points, called the three-finger point. This method is used on the tendons of the limbs, chest, abdomen and shoulder joints. With the five fingers together to form a plum blossom shape, the common point on the acupuncture point, called the five finger pointing method. This method is used in areas where the muscle-fat layer is more developed.

(3) Bending the finger method. The surgeon uses the index finger or middle finger flexion, and uses the protruding bone end on the back of the finger to focus on the acupuncture point. This method is mainly used for deep acupuncture points and large areas, and it is a strong point method.

(4) Elbow tip method. The surgeon flexes the elbow joint, uses the tip of the elbow to focus on the operating area, and presses it or points and follows. This method is mainly used for acupuncture points with full muscles or for obese people, and it is a gravity point method.

There are three types of point force: light, medium and heavy.

Tapping: It is light and elastic, and is a technique with a weak stimulus. It is more used in children, women, the elderly and frail and frail patients.

Midpoint: Its strength is between light and heavy, with a medium amount of stimulation, which can reconcile camp and guard, dredge meridians, and replenish deficiency and laxative.

Focus: It is a strong stimulation technique, biased towards laxatives, mainly used in young adults, strong physique, and soft tissue abundance. It is manifested as an empirical person, which has the effect of activating meridians, eliminating accumulation and breaking knots, reconciling yin and yang, opening tendons at acupoints, reducing swelling and relieving pain.

Do not use violence in the operation, but should go from light to heavy to light, soft with rigid, and repeatedly exert force.

(2) Pressing method: using the fingers or palms of one or both hands to focus on the surgical site, pressing and pressing, which is called pressing method.

(1) Operation and essentials. Straighten the thumb, rest the remaining finger on the side of the treatment site, or hold it tightly with four fingers, the distal part of the thumb is close to the radial side of the index finger, press deeply with the fingertips and suppress it, move slowly, press intermittently, press without moving, and lift gently. When pressing, the thumb and the pressed part are 45°~90°, and the thumb end is either used to move up and down, left and right (according to the dial method), or the thumb end is rotated. But the thumb end should not slide or move over the skin.

(2) Role. Dredging meridians, invigorating blood and relieving pain, supporting healthy qi, calming and calming the nerves, dispelling wind and cold, eliminating boredom, stretching muscles, relaxing muscles, and eliminating fatigue.

(3) Pinching method: The technique of pressing the acupuncture point with the nail edge of the finger without puncturing the skin is called pinching.

(1) Operation and essentials. The surgeon uses the nail edge of the thumb of one hand or both hands to press and pinch the acupuncture points where the operation is performed. The severity and rhythm of the force are determined according to the age of the patient and the condition of the patient. This method is one of the heavy stimulation techniques, and the acupoints should be taken accurately, and the skin should not be pinched. It is mainly used for the treatment of paralysis, ataxia, headaches, colds. This method is commonly used in first aid, such as pinching people in the middle and gushing springs.

(2) Role. Open the body and awaken the mind, return to the yang to save the adversity, dispel the wind and dispel the cold, stimulate the nerves, and warm the meridians.

(4) Tapping method: that is, the forefinger, middle, insulator, and little finger of the surgeon are close together, slightly flexed, the thumb is close to the index finger, the palm is empty, and the skin of each finger tip is in contact with the thenar area when patting.

This method is a moderately stimulating technique with vibration, centered on the movement of the elbow joint, the wrist joint is fixed or slightly moved, and the shoulder joint is coordinated. When tapping the chest and abdomen, it is best to do it after a deep inhale, using the same force as the midpoint method.

The function of the patting method is to promote qi and blood, dredge the meridians, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and strengthen the kidneys. Both empirical and false evidence can be applied, and can be used as a method to strengthen health care.

(5) Percussion method: fingertip percussion and fingertip percussion. The fingertip percussion gesture is the same as the patting method, that is, the five fingertips are in contact with the skin; The fingertip percussion method is to use the five fingers slightly flexed and aligned, and the fingertips are used to percussion the surgical site, the stimulation area is large, and the effect is the same point method, which is mostly used as a heavy technique. Percussion of the fingertips is forcefully forward and downward, which is a light stimulation technique.

4. Acupoint therapy for tonic and laxative

Acupoint therapy and laxative therapy are essential in treatment and health care.

Tonic method refers to the operation of the operator's hand on the acupuncture points with weak strength and slow frequency, so that the recipient has a feeling of strength, flexibility, subtlety, and inner strength.

The laxative method is a technique in which the surgeon will operate the hand on the acupuncture points with strong strength and fast frequency, so that the recipient has a feeling of intense strength and accessibility.

In addition, there are many tonic and laxative techniques, such as meridian tonic laxatives, time laxatives, etc., which are more complex and not easy to master, so they will not be introduced here.

5. Acupuncture points and stimulation lines of acupoint therapy

The main parts of acupoint therapy are meridian points, as well as some specific stimulation lines. There are more than 140 commonly used acupuncture points in clinical practice, some of which are acupuncture acupoints, such as Baihui, Fengchi, Dazhu, Shoulderwell, Sun, Yu, Zhao, Specific Acupoints, Bahui Acupoints, Eight Vein Intersection Acupoints, etc., and the other part is Ashi Acupoints, as well as Experience Acupoints.

6. Precautions

(1) Before the operation, a clear diagnosis, syndrome differentiation and disease differentiation should be made, as well as legislation, acupoint extraction, and stimulation line plan should be selected. It is necessary to have a basis for taking acupoints and administering the surgery in a proper manner, in order to receive good results.

(2) Before the operation, explain to the patient or his family the nature of the disease, treatment, course of treatment, possible problems and prognosis during the treatment.

(3) From light to severe, from slow to urgent, step by step, and finally relieved by light techniques. When you are extremely tired or drunk, you will not be treated with acupoints.

(4) The technique is light and important, and the treatment of serious illness is ineffective, and the treatment of minor illness and severe treatment is not appropriate.

(5) After acupoint treatment, there are often local sensations such as acidity, numbness, heat, swelling, twitching, as well as ruddy skin, and even subcutaneous blood stasis, sweating, fever and other reactions, which do not need to be treated and will recover on their own. When the reaction is severe, such as dizziness, nausea, paleness or shock, it can generally be relieved by pressing the nasal diaphragm, pinching the fingers and toenails with quick strokes. If you have difficulty breathing or stop breathing due to heavy stimulation of the back, you should immediately pat your shoulder, back, head or press your waist and eyes, and grasp the lumbar deltoid muscles, abdominal wall muscles, etc., to relieve the reaction. Some patients have aggravated symptoms after surgery, but the reaction can disappear after 3~5 days, and the symptoms can be relieved, so the recipient should be warned before surgery to avoid misunderstanding.

(6) Treatment course and treatment period. Generally, once a day, once every other day for severe reactions. For mild cases, 10 days is 1 course of treatment; Chronic patients can be treated for 1~2 months for 1 course. Some people have slow progress after a period of treatment, so they can pause for a while and then continue treatment.

7. Acupuncture selection for massage therapy

(1) Proximal acupoint selection: that is, in the affected organs, facial features, and limbs, the nearest acupoints are selected for treatment. For example, stomach disease takes the middle navel and beam door; Kidney disease takes Kidney Yu, Zhi Room; For shoulder pain, choose scapular and cheeky; For knee pain, select knee guan and knee eye; eye disease selects eye brightness and pupil hair; Nose disease selects Yingxiang, giant hair; For ear disease, the ear hilum and pannus are selected; For cheek disease, cheeks and cheeks are selected; Oral and dental diseases are selected from Daying, Chengpulp, and Ground Warehouse. This method is widely used in clinical practice, and is intended to adjust the yin and yang qi and blood of the affected meridians and organs nearby to make them balanced.

(2) Distal acupoint selection: also known as remote acupoint extraction, that is, long-distance acupoint extraction and treatment at the affected site. In the specific application of this method, there are points taken from the original sutra and acupoints from different scriptures.

(1) This sutra is taken from acupoints. When the lesion is diagnosed, the relevant acupuncture points can be selected for treatment. For example, lung disease takes Taiyuan, thenary; Spleen disease takes Taibai and Sanyin; Acute low back pain is moderate.

(2) Acupoints from different scriptures. The pathological changes of many diseases are often related to each other and affect each other. Therefore, treatment must be integrated. For example, vomiting is a stomach disease, and it should be taken in the middle of the belly and the foot for three miles. If the stomach qi does not drop and vomits due to the reversal of liver qi, then at the same time, take Taichong, Liver Yu and Ping Liver to reduce reversal, so that the stomach is not insulted, and the vomiting stops. For another example, in the late stage of swelling and edema, there are symptoms of the same disease of the liver, spleen, and kidney, and acupuncture prescriptions often use acupuncture points with more than 3 meridians. Therefore, the method of acupuncture is widely used in the process of dealing with complex cases.

(3) Symptomatic acupoint selection: Symptomatic acupoint selection is a treatment measure for individual symptoms, which generally belongs to the category of symptomatic treatment. For example, the large vertebral fever reduction, the Su Syncope in the people, the Shenmen soothing the nerves, Guan Yuan Wenyang, etc. The removal of individual symptoms can create favorable conditions for curing the root cause. When applying, according to the urgency of the specimen of the disease, the appropriate use of symptomatic acupoint selection method is also a link that cannot be ignored in acupuncture prescription.

In addition, the selection of acupoints for pain points (Ah is acupoints) is also a symptomatic acupoint selection method. This method evolved from the "Neijing" in the "Neijing" such as "taking pain as an example" and "stabbing it in pain between the flesh". Clinically, tender points are used to treat pain such as blows, sprains, and paralysis.

8. The acupoint matching method of massage massage

The method of acupuncture is based on the above-mentioned main treatment outline of meridian acupoints and the principle of acupoint selection, according to the treatment needs of various different diseases, and selects more than two acupuncture points with coordinated effect for compatibility. It is more profound and specific than the outline of the main treatment of meridian points and the principle of selecting acupoints. Therefore, it occupies an important place in acupuncture prescriptions. There have always been many acupuncture methods, and now we will introduce the five commonly used acupuncture methods.

(1) The front and back acupuncture method: It is called "even thorn" in "Lingshu Guanzhu". When applying, first use your hands to detect the pain point in the chest and abdomen, and then draw a parallel arc to the back and waist to the pain point, and prick a needle obliquely before and after. The front refers to the chest and abdomen, and the back refers to the back and waist. This method is mostly used for chest and abdominal pain diseases, similar to the Yu recruitment and matching acupoint method, but the acupoints are not limited to Yu acupoints and recruitment acupoints, and other meridian acupoints can also be used. For example, if you have stomach pain, you can take the beam door for the abdomen, and take the stomach warehouse and other acupoints for the back.

(2) Upper and lower acupoint matching method: upper finger upper limb and above waist, lower toe lower limb and lower waist. "The Soul of the End" says: "Those who are sick at the top, take it from below; Those who are sick below will be taken high; Those who are sick at the head should take enough; Those who are sick in the waist should take the popliteal. "The upper and lower acupuncture method is the most widely used in clinical practice. For example, for stomach problems, take Neiguan for the upper limbs and Zusanli for the lower limbs; Sore throat, toothache, upper limbs take the valley, lower limbs take the inner court; Anal prolapse, ** sagging take Baihui; Headache forcible Kunlun and so on. These are all specific clinical applications according to the revelations of the Neijing.

(3) Left and right acupuncture method: This is the characteristic of crossing from the meridians, which is the basis for taking acupoints. The "giant thorns" and "Miao thorns" in the "Neijing" are the application of the left and right acupuncture methods. This method is mostly used for head and face diseases, for example, the left side of the facial paralysis takes the right side of the valley, the right side of the paralysis takes the left side of the valley; Take the right side of the head for pain in the left corner of the head and take the right side of Yangling Spring and Xia Creek, and the right head corner pain take the left side of the Yangling Spring and Xia Creek. And because the distribution of the meridians is symmetrical, the clinical acupoints for internal organ diseases can generally be used at the same time to strengthen their coordination effect, such as stomach diseases on both sides of the stomach Yu and Zusanli. In addition, there are also those who abandon the affected side to take the healthy side, such as hemiplegia, paralysis, etc., and this method also has a certain effect.

(4) Acupuncture method between the surface and the inside: This method is based on the relationship between the yin and yang of the viscera meridians. That is, the lesions of the yin meridian can be taken from the yang meridian in its phase at the same time; The lesions of the yang meridian can be taken from the yin meridian in its surface at the same time. This method of matching acupoints can be used for people with common diseases, and the acupoints are not limited to the original acupoints and network acupoints.

(5) Far and near acupoint matching method: that is, the method of "near point selection" and "far point selection" in the principle of acupoint selection. For example, taking the middle navel and stomach Yu for stomach diseases is a proximal method; Taking Neiguan, Zusanli, Gongsun, etc. is a far-away method. It can also be used in combination with the near and far, but the prescription must be in line with the condition, distinguish the priority, and be simple and simple.