Universal acupuncture points?

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In her book [i:08b1d5cfcc]Insights of a Senior Acupuncturist[/i:08b1d5cfcc], Miriam Lee describes a combination of points that have wide application: ST36, SP6, LI4, LI11, and LU7. This set of points, with slight adjustments (e.g., leaving out one or two, perhaps adding or substituting one or two) is said to be helpful for the majority of common complaints seen in the Western acupuncture clinic. A famous Mongolian acupuncturist Dr. Gavaa Luvsan, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc. has written in his book [i:08b1d5cfcc]Traditional and Contemporary Aspects of Eastern Acupuncture[/i:08b1d5cfcc] ([i:08b1d5cfcc]in Russian[/i:08b1d5cfcc]): "[i:08b1d5cfcc]In chronic pain syndromes the body's resistance should be increased first, thus general points are recommended to normalise the state of the central nervous system. The main points for this purpose include: LU7, LI4, LI11, ST36, SP6, KI6, PC6, SJ5, GB4, GB14[/i:08b1d5cfcc]." In [i:08b1d5cfcc]Laser Therapy[/i:08b1d5cfcc] by V.I. Kozlov and V.A. Buylin ([/i]in Russian[/i]) a so called [i:08b1d5cfcc]basic recipe[/i:08b1d5cfcc] for laser acupuncture is described, including LI4, ST36, and CV12, alternating with PC6, SP6, and CV12. This [i:08b1d5cfcc]basic recipe[/i:08b1d5cfcc] is said to decrease pain in many different pathological states. Dr. Sarah E. Watkins, M.D. from U.K., who studied in Nanjing College of TCM in China, has developed two simple acupuncture treatment plans comprising safe and apparently effective acupoints (5 points for upper quadrant and 3 points for lower quadrant). Those treatment plans have been taught since 2000 to many nursing sisters in Bangladesh and Ethiopia. The author claims that this treatment produces the same response pattern as achieved by experienced masters of TCM (20% 'miracles', 20% 'failures', and 60% 'in-betweens'), which is, in her opinion, the characteristic of acupuncture itself. Drs. Jose Luis Padilla and Manuel Contreras from Peru in their 9-volume [i:08b1d5cfcc]Manual de Acupuntura[/i:08b1d5cfcc] ([i:08b1d5cfcc]Acupuncture Manual[/i:08b1d5cfcc]; [i:08b1d5cfcc]in Spanish[/i:08b1d5cfcc]) describe the "four gates" treatment according to [i:08b1d5cfcc]Nei Jing[/i:08b1d5cfcc] and state that most experienced TCM practitioners in Korea and Northern China begin any treatment with LV3 (feet) and LI4 (hands) to regulate blood and [i:08b1d5cfcc]qi[/i:08b1d5cfcc]. This list could be continued, but many points in those recipes seems to be repeated, and indeed are widely used in China as well. For example, in a study conducted in [i:08b1d5cfcc]Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine[/i:08b1d5cfcc], for the 64 different main complaints logged, LI4 was used at least once for 75% of all complaints, while ST36 and SP6 were used at least once for 71% of complaints, and LV3 for 67% of complaints.

I would really appreciate it if you could answer whether, in your opinion, such "universal acupuncture points" useful in almost any condition really exist and, is so, which are the most important points and their combinations.

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Sergiy

Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 6:11 am