Classical Points owe their functionality to their connection to the nervous system. In particular the sympathetic innervation at the point lies at the edge of the dent just under the skin (my observation). That innervation is responsible for the lower resistance of the point (due to the extra ions/electrons) and sympathetic activity at the nerve makes the point more tender on palpation and easier to find via palpation. That sympathetic innervation connects the point to that part or function of the body that it is associated with. It is best thought of as a stress response that occurs when that part or function of the body is disturbed in some way. It propagates down the sympathetic nervous system. Now when we needle a point, we are typically needling the parasympathetic innervation at the point which lies at the center of ths dent deeper in the muscle. Stimulating the parasympathetic innervation “counteracts” the sympathetic disturbance and treats the underlying disturbance or generates the functional response that the point is known for. The parasympathetic innervation at the point carries the signal to the brain. Therefore, needling sensation is necessary to get the effect. To some degree, the stronger the better, up to the point of causing pain. Causing pain causes a sympathetic response which is not what we want. The Chinese think that causing pain is one way to tonify the yang. Sure, but your patient will probably not come back. There are better ways to tonify the yang than causing pain. When we use heat to treat a point, we are stimulating the heat receptors which causes a different reaction of the nervous system. Chinese needling techniques that emphasize strong needling sensation is more appropriate for Classicalpoints. Too strong a stimulation can cause needle shock, however. Basically, we are re-balancing the autonomic nervous system to a healthier balanced state. As acupuncturists, we are taught what part or function of the body each point is connected with through the nervous system. No other practitioner is taught this. Even doctors don’t know all of this. They only know the points to use to treat a certain condition that research has proved classical acupuncture treats. Is 300 hours really enough for them to call themselves an acupuncturist? My opinion is of course not. But that depends on the curriculum. And their needling technique leaves something to be desired as well. That part of their education needs work as well. But I will admit, I think most acupuncturists are not getting as good an education as they should. They can get much of it on this site. More in my books. My real purpose for this site is not to increase sales of my books, but to make acupuncture a true science in peoples eyes and bring it into the 21st century. And to move our profession forward. My first book was only the first step. This site is the second step. Thi third step is my second book (and I am working on a third and fourth and fifth book.The fourth step is to do research, in particular duplicating and extending the research of the French. I am trying to write the research proposal now. This site is for making the basic information available to everyone, for free. My second book also contains how to do treatments (especially mine) and is aimed at acupuncturists.
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