TCM Acupuncture and Massage

Chapter 9 Basic Theory of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (1)
Meridian General
[-]. The concept of meridians
Meridians - the general term for meridians and collaterals.

The meridian is a channel that runs the whole body's Qi and blood, connects the viscera, the body, the organs, and communicates the functions of the upper, lower, and inner.

Meridian - the backbone of the meridian system.Jing: It has the meaning of path, which runs through up and down, and communicates inside and outside.Collaterals—branches from meridians.Collateral, which means network, is smaller than meridians, criss-crossing and spreading all over the body.

[-]. The composition of the meridian system
The meridian system consists of meridians and collaterals, of which the meridians include the twelve meridians, the eight extra meridians, and the twelve meridians, the twelve meridians, and the twelve skin parts attached to the twelve meridians; the collaterals include the fifteen collaterals And countless Fuluo, Sunluo, etc.

([-]) Twelve Meridians

The twelve meridians are the Three Yin Meridians of the Hand (Lung Meridian of Hand Taiyin, Pericardium Meridian of Hand Jueyin, Heart Meridian of Hand Shaoyin), Three Yang Meridians of the Hand (Large Intestine Meridian of Hand Yangming, Meridian of Sanjiao of Hand Shaoyang, Small Intestine Meridian of Hand Taiyang), Foot The general term for the Three Yang Meridians (Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming, Gallbladder Meridian of Foot Shaoyang, Bladder Meridian of Foot Shaoyang) and Three Yin Meridians of Foot (Spleen Meridian of Foot Taiyin, Liver Meridian of Foot Jueyin, Kidney Meridian of Foot Shaoyin). The main body of the system is also called "serious".

1. Naming of the Twelve Meridians

The name of the meridian was determined by the ancients based on the three yin and three yang derived from the ebb and flow of yin and yang, combined with the characteristics of the meridian running through the upper and lower limbs, and the relationship with the viscera.Three yin and three yang mainly represent the amount of yin and yang qi. Taiyin is the most abundant yin qi, followed by Shaoyin, and then Jueyin; Yangming is the most abundant yang qi, followed by Taiyang, and then Shaoyang.The three yin and three yang cooperate with the hands and feet to become the three yin of the hand, the three yang of the hand, the three yin of the foot, and the three yang of the foot.

2. The distribution of the twelve meridians on the body surface
The twelve meridians are symmetrically distributed on the head, face, trunk and limbs on the left and right sides of the body, running through the whole body.The meridians belonging to the five internal organs are called yin meridians, which are distributed on the inner sides of the limbs and the chest and abdomen; the meridians belonging to the six fu organs are called yang meridians, which are distributed on the outer sides of the limbs, the head, the face and the torso.

3. The relationship between the exterior and interior of the twelve meridians
The twelve meridians are connected with the viscera in the body, among which the yin meridian belongs to the viscera and governs the interior, and the yang meridian belongs to the viscera and the exterior. One viscera is matched with one viscera, and one yin is matched with one yang.That is, the Lung Meridian of Hand Taiyin and the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand Yangming are connected externally and internally, the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming is connected externally and internally with the Spleen Meridian of Foot Taiyin, the Heart Meridian of Hand Shaoyin is connected externally and internally with the Small Intestine Meridian of Hand Taiyang, and the Bladder Meridian of Foot Taiyang is connected externally and internally with the Foot Shaoyin The Kidney Meridian is related to the exterior and interior, the Pericardium Meridian of Hand Jueyin is connected to the Sanjiao Meridian of Hand Shaoyang, and the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot Shaoyang is connected to the Liver Meridian of Foot Jueyin.The ancients also combined the theory of the five elements to express the congruent relationship of the meridians.

4. Twelve meridians follow the direction and handover rules
The direction of the twelve meridians follows certain rules, as recorded in "Lingshu·Ni Shun Fat and Slim": "The three yin of the hand, go from the hand to the Tibet; the three yang of the hand, go from the hand to the head; the three yang of the foot, go from the head The foot; the three yin of the foot, go from the foot to the abdomen.” The direction of the twelve meridians is: the three yin meridians of the hand go from the chest to the hand, the three yang meridians of the hand go from the hand to the head, the three yang meridians of the foot go from the head to the foot, and the three yang meridians of the foot go from the head to the foot. The yin meridian runs from the foot to the abdomen and chest.

The twelve meridians not only have a certain route, but also have certain rules in the connection between meridians.The yin and yang meridians on the outside and inside join at the extremities of the hands and feet, the yang meridians with the same name join at the head and face, and the connected yin and yang meridians join at the chest.

5. The circulation of the twelve meridians

The flow of qi and blood in the twelve meridians circulates back and forth like an endless loop, but the order of flow has certain rules.The meridians run qi and blood, and qi and blood are produced by the middle energizer receiving, decomposing water and grains, and transforming water and grain essences, so the beginning of the circulation of the twelve meridians is designated as the middle energizer.The movement of qi and blood depends on the transportation of lung qi, so that it can flow into the twelve meridians and nourish the whole body. Because the lung has the physiological function of facing all the meridians, the flow of qi and blood starts from the lung meridian of hand Taiyin.The lung meridian is transmitted from one meridian to another, forming a cycle-like, endless transfusion system, which circulates Qi and blood throughout the body, so that the human body is continuously nourished and maintains the functional activities of various tissues and organs.

([-]) Eight extraordinary meridians

The eight extraordinary meridians are the meridians that do not travel strangely. There are 8 governor vessels, Ren vessels, Chong vessels, belt vessels, Yinwei vessels, Yangwei vessels, Yinqiao vessels, and Yangqiao vessels, so they are called the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. .

"Qi" has the meaning of "different", which refers to strangeness and strangeness, thus indicating that they have different meanings from the Twelve Classics.The eight extra meridians are different from the twelve meridians, they do not directly belong to the twelve viscera, but are closely related to the extraordinarily constant organs; except for the Ren and Du two meridians, none of them have their own acupoints, and the eight extra meridians also have There is no circulation of qi and blood, and except for the belt channel, the other seven meridians all ascend from bottom to top;

([-]) Fifteen networks
Each of the twelve meridians, Du meridians, and Ren meridians has a separate network, plus the "big collateral of the spleen", called the "fifteen separate channels".It has a commanding effect on the smaller collaterals and strengthens the connection between the inner and outer yin and yang meridians.

As the backbone of the collateral system, the fifteen collaterals belong to the collaterals of the whole body. The fifteen collaterals branch into smaller collaterals, grandson collaterals, and floating collaterals, etc., so that the blood of the twelve meridians gradually expands from a linear flow It is diffused in the form of a surface, giving full play to the infiltration, irrigation and nourishment of Yingwei Qi, blood and body fluid on the whole body.Bieluo—a larger collateral directly separated from the meridian.Floating collaterals - collaterals floating on the superficial part.Sun collaterals - the smallest branch of the collaterals, which have the function of passing through the camp and guarding.

([-]) The Twelve Classics

The twelve meridians are the larger branches of the twelve meridians, the separate parts of the twelve orthodox meridians "Li, Ren, Chu, and He" and the branches of the orthodox meridians that go deep into the body cavity.Circulating in the deep part of the body cavity, it also belongs to the scope of meridians. It strengthens the connection between the twelve meridians, which are the outer and inner meridians, and reaches the organs and body parts that are not followed by the regular meridians, supplementing the insufficiency of the regular meridians.

([-]) Twelve meridian tendons

The qi of the twelve meridians gather in the system of muscles and joints, which are the peripheral connected parts of the twelve meridians.

Jingjin is the general term for the muscle and muscle system distributed on the limbs by the twelve regular meridians. The qi of the meridians "consolidate, gather, disperse, and network" in the corresponding meridian tendons, and play the role of connecting the bones, maintaining the whole body, and controlling joint movement. .

([-]) Twelve skin parts

The twelve skin parts are the parts where the functional activities of the twelve meridians are reflected on the body surface, and also where the qi of the meridians spread.

The twelve tendons and the twelve skin parts are basically the same as the twelve meridians, so they are named after the twelve meridians.

[-]. Physiological functions of meridians

Meridians are channels that transport qi and blood, connect viscera and limbs, communicate with each other, and regulate the functional activities of tissues in the body.Its physiological function has the following three aspects:

([-]) Communication between the inside and the outside, connecting the viscera and limbs
"Lingshu·Hailun" says: "The twelve meridians of the husband belong to the viscera internally, and externally connect to the limb joints." This function is clearly pointed out.Although the organs and organs of the human body, the limbs and bones, the five sense organs and nine orifices, the flesh, muscles, bones and other tissues and organs have different physiological functions, they carry out organic overall activities together, so that the inside and outside of the body are kept in harmony and unity, forming an organic whole. Overall.And this kind of mutual connection and organic coordination is mainly realized based on the connection and communication functions of the meridian system.Because the twelve meridians and their branches are criss-crossing, the surface of the human body goes out, and connects the viscera and organs from the top to the bottom. The viscera, tissues and organs are organically connected to form a coordinated whole, communicating the inside and outside, and connecting the viscera and limbs.

([-]) Run qi and blood, nourish the whole body

Every viscera, tissue and organ of the human body needs the warmth, nourishment and moistening of qi and blood to be able to play their normal roles.Qi and blood are the material basis of human life activities. They must rely on the infusion of meridians before they can be distributed throughout the body. For the six fu organs, this provides the material conditions for the five zang organs to store essence and the six fu organs to transmit and transform the functional activities.Therefore, "Lingshu Benzang" says:

"The meridian is the one that circulates blood and qi, nourishes yin and yang, moisturizes the muscles and bones, and sharpens the joints."

It is clearly pointed out that meridians have the functions of running qi and blood, regulating yin and yang and nourishing the whole body.

([-]) Resist external evils and protect the body
Exogenous evils invade the human body from the most superficial parts of the human body and gradually penetrate into the inside, that is, most of them start from the fur. "Su Wen·Pi Bu Lun" said: "When the evil guest is on the skin, the interstitial muscles will open; when the evil guest is on the collaterals, when the collaterals are full, it will be injected into the meridians." The function of the meridians to resist external evils mainly depends on Wei Qi. After completion, Wei Qi is first enriched in the collaterals, which has the functions of warming and nourishing the muscles, moisturizing the skin, and opening and closing the sweat pores.Because the meridians can "flow blood and nourish yin and yang", the nourishing qi runs in the meridians, the guarding qi runs outside the meridians, and the yingwei qi is densely distributed throughout the body, thus strengthening the body's defense ability.When external evil invades, Wei Qi and Sun Luo play the role of resisting external evil and protecting the body.

[-]. Clinical application of meridians
1. Explain pathological changes
Since the meridian is a passage for the human body to go from the inside to the outside, and when the physiological function is out of balance, it is also the way for the transmission of pathogenic factors, which has the characteristics of reflecting the symptoms of the disease. Obvious tenderness, or nodules, cords and other reactants appear on the pathway, and changes in skin color, shape, temperature, electrical resistance, etc. of the corresponding parts.The pathological changes of the disease can be deduced by looking at the color, touching the reactant along the meridian, and pressing.

2. Guiding syndrome differentiation and meridians
Since the meridian has a certain path and the viscera to which it belongs, the meridian where the disease is located can be inferred based on the pathological changes in the relevant parts of the body surface.For example, headache syndrome, the pain in the forehead is mostly related to the Yangming meridian, the pain in the sides is mostly related to the Shaoyang meridian, the pain in the back is mostly related to the Taiyang meridian, and the pain in the top is mostly related to the Governor Vessel and Foot. Jueyin meridian is related.Clinically, syndrome differentiation can also be carried out based on the syndromes that appear and the viscera associated with them.Such as cough, runny nose, chest tightness, or pain on the upper side of the chest or the inner front edge of the upper limbs, etc., are related to the lung meridian of hand Taiyin; The meridian is related to the Liver Meridian of Foot Jueyin.

3. Guide acupuncture and moxibustion treatment
Acupuncture and moxibustion stimulate the acupoints on the surface of the body through acupuncture and moxibustion to dredge the meridian qi and regulate the function of qi and blood in the human viscera, so as to achieve the purpose of treating diseases.Usually follow the meridians and select acupoints according to the characteristics of meridians and indications. "Song of Sizong Acupoints" contains: "Stay three miles away in the belly, seek in the middle of the back and back, look for the missing in the head, and close the face and mouth." It is to follow the meridian. The embodiment of acupoint selection.Because the meridians, viscera are closely related to the skin, the diseases of the meridians and viscera can be treated by puncturing the skin with skin needles or embedding needles in the skin. Needles can be buried in the skin of this point; meridian blockage, qi and blood stasis, and bleeding in the collaterals can be pricked for treatment, such as red eyes, swelling, pain, pricking at the temple for bleeding, soft tissue contusion, pricking and cupping at the damaged part, etc.; , mostly due to diseases in the fascia muscles, manifested as spasms, stiffness, and relaxation, you can "use pain as acupoints" to select local pain points or acupoints for acupuncture treatment.

General introduction to acupoints
[-]. Definition of acupoints
Acupoints——the parts where the Qi and blood of the viscera, meridians and collaterals are infused on the body surface. They are the locations where acupuncture or other treatments are performed, and they are also the points of action for receiving external stimuli.

Acupoint—common with “运” and has the meaning of transfusion.Acupoint—convergence, pore.Meridians—the internal organs belong to the internal organs, and the external network limbs communicate with the internal and external, run through the upper and lower, and circulate qi and blood.Meridians are compared to rivers, and acupoints are distributed along the lakes along the river, which can regulate the river.

[-]. Formation and development of acupoints

The formation and development of acupoints has gone through a rather long historical stage. It was gradually discovered and accumulated by the working people of our country in the process of fighting against diseases for a long time.Its development can be roughly divided into three stages:

No positioning stage: take pain as acupoint
Positioning and naming stage: determine the location of the acupoints and name the system classification stage (divided into three categories)
[-]. Naming of acupoints
([-]) Natural category
1. Named after the sun, moon and stars in astronomy, such as sun and moon, Shangxing, Xuanji, Huagai, Taiyi, Tianshu, etc.

2. It is named after the geographical name combined with the image of acupoints, which can be divided into the following categories.

① Use mountains, mausoleums, hills, and ruins to describe the image of acupoints, such as Chengshan, Daling, Liangqiu, and Shangqiu.

②The images of acupoints are compared with streams, valleys, ditches, and dunes, such as Houxi, Yangxi, Hegu, Sanggu, Shuigou, Zhigou, Sidu, Zhongdu, etc.

③Use sea, lake, pond, spring, canal, and abyss as metaphors for the flow of qi and blood in acupoints, such as Shaohai, Xiaohai, Chize, Quze, Quchi, Yongquan, Jingqu, Taiyuan, etc.

④ Use streets, roads, Chong, Chu, Shi, and corridors to describe the passages or parts of acupoints, such as Qijie, Shuidao, Guanchong, Wuchu, Fengshi, etc.

([-]) Object category
1. The parts of the acupoints are compared with the names of animals, such as thenar, dovetail, crouching rabbit, and calf nose.

2. Use plant names to describe the parts of certain acupoints, such as Cuanzhu, Heliao, etc.

3. Buildings are used to describe the location of certain acupoints, such as patios, jade halls, warehouses, mansions, skylights, ground warehouses, beam gates, purple palaces, inner courtyards, and gas households.

4. Use daily utensils to describe the parts of certain acupoints, such as Dazhu, Diji, Jacar, Xuanzhong, etc.

([-]) Human body
1. Named after the anatomical parts of the human body.

① Named after the anatomical name of the human body, such as carpal bone, complete bone, big vertebra, curved bone, etc.

② It is named after the anatomical names of viscera, such as Xinshu, Ganshu, Pishu, Feishu, etc. in Beishu points.

2. Named after the physiological functions of the human body.

① Named after general physiological functions, such as listening to the meeting, Laogong, Guanyuan, Chengqi, etc.

② Named after the function of Qi and blood viscera, such as Qihai, Xuehai, Shentang, Pohu, Hunmen, Yishe, etc.

3. Named after the therapeutic effect, such as light, moisture, welcome fragrance, return, etc.

4. Named after the body parts and meridians belong to Yin and Yang, such as Yanglingquan, Yinlingquan, Yindu, Yanggang, Sanyinjiao, Sanyangluo, etc.

[-]. Classification of acupoints
The acupoints are divided into fourteen meridian points, extra meridian points, and Ashi points.

([-]) Fourteen Meridian Points

The fourteen meridian points are acupoints on the line of the fourteen meridians, the Ren meridian and the Du meridian, referred to as "meridian points".It has a fixed name, a fixed location, and has the function of mainly treating the diseases of this meridian, and can reflect the diseases of the fourteen meridians and their viscera.

"Acupuncture and Moxibustion Fengyuan" written by Li Xuechuan in the Qing Dynasty finally expanded the total number of meridian points to 361 points, which has been used to this day.

([-]) extra meridian points

Extra-meridian acupoints refer to acupoints other than the Fourteen Meridians that have special curative effects on certain diseases, or acupoints with several stimulating points in one acupoint name but no return to the meridian, referred to as "extra-acupoints".It has a fixed name and a fixed location, and its indications are relatively simple, and most of them have special curative effects on certain diseases, such as Sifeng for treating malnutrition in children, Dingchuan for asthma, etc.

([-]) Ashi point
Ashi point is also known as "Tianying point", "Indefinite point", "tender point", etc., and the tender point that is localized or related to the pain is used as the site of acupuncture and moxibustion.These acupoints have no specific names and no fixed locations.Mainly treat local lesions.

[-]. The function of acupoints
The therapeutic effects of acupoints are mainly three aspects: near-treatment effect, distant-treatment effect and special effect.

([-]) Proximal effect

Each acupoint can treat the disease where the acupoint is located and the adjacent tissues, organs, viscera, and meridians.

For example, Jingming, Chengqi, Sibai, Tongzi and iliac eyes in the eye area, ear door, Tinggong, Tinghui, Yifeng ear disease, head and face acupoints around the ear.

([-]) Remote effect

The effect of remote treatment refers to the acupoints belonging to the fourteen meridians, which can treat the tissues, organs and meridian diseases in the places where the meridians pass and the distant parts.

For example: Hegu head and face diseases, Zusanli gastrointestinal, thoracic and abdominal diseases
([-]) Special role

Special effect means that acupoints have two-way benign adjustment effects and relatively specific effects.

Relative specificity: four seams - malnutrition Shenmen - calming the nerves to Yin - correcting the fetal position Dazhui - reducing fever and Shaoze - unblocking the breast
Less merchants - sore throat

The benign adjustment effect of duality: Tianshu stops diarrhea, stops dysentery and defecates
Hegu antiperspirant
Internal heart tachycardia and bradycardia VI. Specific acupoints

Acupoints with special functions in the Fourteen Classics.Because of the different functions of attending, each has its different name.

(End of this chapter)