The energy giving life to the body and activating each organ circulates in well-defined channels, called ching in Chinese and written with an ideogram that denotes the warp in weaving. In English they are called meridians, a word borrowed from geography that indicates an imaginary line joining a series of points. This is an apt term in that, like geographical meridians, the acupuncture meridians exist not as continuous lines but rather as series of points following line like patterns.
There are twelve so-called "regular" meridians, having identical branches on each bilateral half of the body. For example, the meridian of the heart is composed of a series of points beginning on the chest and running along the inside of the arm to the end of the little finger. These points on the skin, particularly those on the inside of the arm, exhibit a noticeably increased sensitivity when the heart is disturbed either organically or functionally.
Ten of the regular meridians are identified with structural organs also recognized in Western medicine: the lungs (L), large intestine (LI), stomach (S), spleen-pancreas (SP), heart (H), small intestine (SI), bladder (B), kidneys (K), liver (Li), and gall bladder (GB). The other two, those of the triple heater (TH) and heart constrictor (HC), are related to body activity rather than to any specific organic body.
The triple heater controls the energy of respiration, the distribution of energy to the urogenital organs, and the energy of the sex drive. The heart constrictor is involved in the control of the blood vessels, down to the minute filtering portions of the kidneys, which in Chinese medicine are considered to have a direct bearing on sexual energy. (Any impairment in blood circulation, no matter how slight, adversely affects sexual energy, and the kidneys' vital function in filtering the blood means that the quality of sexual energy depends to a great extent on how efficient their action is.)
These twelve bilateral meridians are termed regular because energy circulates in them constantly in a specific direction and sequence, comprising the body's general energy-circulation system.
Two other meridians exist that are sometimes classified as regular meridians and sometimes as "extraordinary meridians." They are jen-mo (JM)), or the meridian of conception, a unilateral meridian on the anterior midline of the body; and tu-mo (TM), or the governor meridian, a unilateral meridian on the posterior midline of the body. Like the meridians of the triple heater and heart constrictor, they are free of any direct organ-structure relationship. Unlike the twelve bilateral meridians, however, they are not an integral part of the general energy-circulatory system but are related to it as secondary channels. Nevertheless, as with the bilateral meridians, energy does circulate in them constantly and in a prescribed direction.
Six true extraordinary meridians have also been identified: yang-oe, yang-tsiao-mo, tae-mo, yin-oe, yin-tsiao-mo, and tchrong-mo. These are "diversionary channels" through which energy flows only when pathological changes cause an excess of energy that the regular meridians cannot handle. The extraordinary meridians do not possess points exclusive to themselves but pass through certain points on the regular meridians, and energy does not flow through them in a consistent, invariable pattern. In addition, each possesses only one command point, called the master point, unlike the regular meridians, which have ten each.
A command point is a control point for energy flowing through a meridian and is therefore a major point in acupuncture treatment, though theoretically any point can be treated. It can be compared to the main lock of an irrigation system, which controls the entire flow of water in the main canal and its tributaries. The other points are like the locks of secondary canals, one or more of which may be opened to allow an extra flow of water to especially parched fields.
Jen-mo and tu-mo resemble the six extraordinary meridians in possessing only one such command point apiece. Having characteristics of both the regular and the extraordinary meridians, jen-mo and tu-mo are sometimes included in one group, sometimes in the other, depending on the properties under consideration.
The points on the meridians are not the only acupuncture points found on the skin. It has now been established that there are a number of effective acupuncture points outside the known meridians, called "extraordinary points beyond the meridians." So far they have not been associated with any specific organ or system, though the suggestion that they may be associated some-how with the endocrine system is being explored. The meridian points can be palpated by those with the proper training and are also electrically detectable. They invariably become sensitive in the presence of disturbed organ function. Several of the acupuncture points are known in Western medicine, such as McBurney's point on the abdomen, which is used in the diagnosis of appendicitis. In angina pectoris, for example, a typical acute pain shoots down the inside of the arm to the little finger; this follows exactly the path of the heart meridian.
Each of the twelve bilateral meridians carries a fixed number of points, ranging from nine on the heart and heart constrictor meridians to sixty-seven on the bladder meridian. Five of these on each meridian are called element points, because they are identified with the five elements-fire, earth, metal, water, and wood-and are used in acupuncture in accordance with the law of the five elements. Stimulation of these and the other command points regulates the flow of energy in the meridians.
In addition to the five element points there are five other points of equal importance on each of these meridians: the origin; lo, or passage; iu, or assentiment; mo, or alarm; and gueki points. These ten points comprise the command points of each bilateral meridian. In several of the meridians the earth point and origin point are identical; this is why the heart meridian, for example, can have ten command points and yet a total of only nine separate points.
The origin point is, as its name suggests, the point with which the meridian originates (which end of a meridian is its origin and which its terminus is determined by the direction of its energy flow, which may be either ascending or descending). This point reinforces the action of the other points on the meridian. If the energy in a meridian is depleted, the origin point is pricked in tonification. If the energy is in excess, the same point is pricked in dispersal.
The lo, or passage, point connects two meridians that are coupled at a pulse and is treated in order to balance the energy in such a pair of meridians. The iu, or assentiment, point is a diagnostic and treatment point for the visceral organs. The iu points of all the meridians are located on the bladder meridian.
The alarm, or mo, point becomes sensitive when the meridian on which it is located is disturbed and thus is a useful diagnostic indicator. The alarm point of a given meridian mayor may not be located on its own meridian.
The gueki point usually becomes sensitive when its meridian is involved in acute rather than chronic illness. Unlike the other command points, the gueki point is located at some depth in the muscle and therefore is difficult to detect electrically.
The meridians having only one command point-jen-mo, tu-mo, and the six extraordinary meridians-can be divided into two groups of four yin and four yang meridians. The yin meridians include jen-mo (24 single points), yin-oe (3 single and 5 bilateral points), yin-tsiao-mo (1 single and 2 bilateral points), and tchrong-mo (1 single and 11 bilateral points). The yang meridians include tu-mo (27 single points), yang-oe (2 single and 15 bilateral points), yang-tsiao-mo (1 single and 11 bilateral points), and tae-mo (1 single and 3 bilateral points).
The master points on pairs of these meridians are coupled for treatment purposes, a point on the upper extremity of one meridian being coupled with a point on the lower extremity of another, making four pairs of coupled master points: jen-mo (L 7) and yin-tsiao-mo (K 6); yin-oe (HC 6) and tchrong-mo (SP 4); tu-mo (SI 3) and yang-tsiao-mo (B 62); and yang-oe (TH 15) and tae-mo (GB 41).
These meridians can be treated at any of their points, but to treat the coupled master points effectively the two-metal contact method or its equivalent, such as the insertion of two needles, is necessary.
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