Each acupoint has its main characteristics, but on the whole, the therapeutic effect of acupoints has some common characteristics and certain rules. The main characteristics and rules of acupoints are described as follows.

1. The main characteristics of acupoints

There are three main characteristics of acupoints, namely, near treatment, distant treatment and special treatment.

(1) Proximal treatment effect: It refers to the effect that the acupoints have the effect of treating the local and adjacent tissues and organs where they are located. This is the common feature of the main role of all acupoints, and it is the embodiment of the law of "where the acupoints are, where the main treatment is". For example, the meridian points around the eye area, such as eye brightness, Cheng weeping, bamboo accumulation, and pupil hair, can treat eye diseases; The meridian points around the stomach can treat stomach pain; Crane top, knee eye and other strange points around the knee joint can treat pain around the knee joint; Ah is acupuncture points can treat local pain in the area.

(2) Distant treatment effect: acupoints have the effect of treating the viscera, tissues and organs of the distant parts. Acupuncture points can not only treat local conditions, but also have a long-term healing effect. The 14 meridian acupoints, especially the 12 meridians located below the elbow and knee joints, have a particularly prominent effect on the distant treatment, such as Hegu can not only treat local diseases of the hands, but also treat the neck and head and face diseases that the meridians pass through, which is a reflection of the law of "the meridians pass through, and the main treatment reaches".

(3) Special effect: refers to the benign adjustment effect and relative specific therapeutic effect of some acupoints. The so-called two-way benign adjustment effect refers to the fact that the same acupoint can play two opposite and effective therapeutic effects on different pathological states of the body. For example, when diarrhea is acupuncture, the needle Tianshu acupoint can stop diarrhea, and when constipation, the needle Tianshu acupoint can be laxative; Neiguan can treat bradycardia as well as tachycardia. For example, experiments have proved that acupuncture can not only strengthen the gastric movement that was originally in a relaxed state or a low excited state, but also weaken the gastric movement that was originally in tension or hypercontraction. In addition, the therapeutic effect of acupoints also has relative specificity, such as reducing fever in the large vertebral acupoint, correcting the fetal position in the yin acupoint, and treating appendicitis with the appendix acupoint.

2. The main rules of acupoints

The main treatment of acupoints (mainly referring to the 14 meridian acupoints) presents a certain regularity, and there are mainly two major rules: the main treatment of the meridians and the main treatment of the divisions. Generally speaking, the meridian points of the limbs are mainly treated by sub-meridians, and the meridian points of the head and body are mainly treated by sub-meridians.

The main treatment of meridians: The main treatment of meridians refers to the acupoints to which a certain meridian belongs can treat the diseases of the meridian and its corresponding viscera. When ancient physicians discussed acupuncture treatment, they often only selected the relevant meridians without specifically listing the acupuncture points, that is, "the meridians are not fixed." "Practice has proved that different meridians and acupoints of the same meridian can treat the same symptoms in the same meridian. For example, the ruler ze, the most hole, the column deficiency, and the thenar of the hand Taiyin lung meridian can treat cough, asthma and other lung diseases, and also show that the acupoints have the main law of meridian treatment. According to the law of the main treatment of acupoints, later generations of doctors said that "it is better to lose the acupoints than to lose the meridians" in the treatment of acupuncture.

In addition, the three yangs of the hands, the three yin of the hands, the three yangs of the feet, the three yin of the feet, the Ren pulse and the Du mai meridians and acupoints not only have their own rules of division and treatment, but also have common points in some of the main treatments. For example, the Ren pulse acupoint has the effect of returning yang, solidifying and strengthening; Dumai acupoints can be used to treat stroke, coma, fever, and head and face diseases; The 12 classics can treat mental diseases, visceral diseases, and gynecological diseases. In short, the main treatments of the 14 meridians and acupoints have their own characteristics and some commonalities (Table 1-2-2).

Table 1-2-2 Table of the main rules of the 12 meridians and acupoints