Meridians, the mysterious "passages" that run through the human body, have long fascinated contemporary people. So what are meridians? Let's compare the human body to the Earth to explain this question. The Earth has longitude and latitude lines that weave together to form a network. Similarly, the human body has longitudinal meridians and collateral meridians that connect and form the meridian system.
Acupoints: The "Portable Doctor" of the Human Body
Acupoints on the human body are like rivers and lakes on the Earth. The rivers and lakes on the Earth are interconnected and nourish the mountains, rivers, and trees. It is because of the nourishment from rivers and lakes that life on Earth can flourish and humans can live in a beautiful environment. Similarly, acupoints on the human body are distributed throughout different parts of the body. They are pathways for the circulation of Qi, blood, body fluids, and play a role in nourishing the organs, muscles, bones, tendons, and vessels. When the Qi, blood, and body fluids in the acupoints are abundant, human life can flourish.
Meridians and acupoints are the "portable doctors" of the human body. Headaches and fevers are common symptoms of diseases. Some minor discomforts may not be classified as diseases when examined in a hospital, but they can still make the body uncomfortable. Therefore, for these "small-scale" diseases, as long as we master the meridians and acupoints, we can solve them anytime, anywhere. Using meridians and acupoints to solve everyday health problems is not only effective but also convenient and fast. It often has an immediate effect. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to call them the "portable doctors" of the human body.
The Miraculous Acupoints
Acupoints are the locations on the human body discovered through long-term medical practice. They are special locations on the surface of the body where the Qi of the organs and meridians is abundant. They are also known as acupoints.
The formation and development of acupoints can be divided into three stages:
[First stage]
In ancient times, when a certain part or organ of the body became diseased, people found that pain, percussion, massage, and moxibustion on the painful area could alleviate or eliminate the pain. This is what traditional Chinese medicine theory refers to as "using pain as a sign." The acupoints recognized through "using pain as a sign" are in the first stage of acupoint understanding, which is non-specific and unnamed.
[Second stage]
Later, as people gradually gained a deeper understanding of the locations on the body where various treatments are applied and their therapeutic effects, and accumulated more experience, they found that some acupoints have specific locations and are effective in treating certain diseases. They gave descriptions and names to these acupoints, marking the second stage of acupoint development, which is specific and named.
[Third stage]
With a deepening understanding of meridians and the therapeutic effects of acupoints, ancient physicians classified the functions of acupoints and their connection to meridians, stating that acupoints are not isolated points on the surface of the body but connected to the organs through meridians. Through continuous summarization, analysis, and induction, acupoints were gradually attributed to different meridians. This is the third stage of acupoint development, which involves positioning, naming, and categorizing acupoints according to meridians.
The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon mentions about 160 acupoint names and records the meridian associations. The Jin Dynasty's "Acupuncture Jia-Yi Jing" records 349 names of acupoints throughout the body. In addition to discussing the positioning, therapeutic effects, compatibility, and operation principles of acupoints, it also organizes the order of acupoints, making important contributions to the theoretical and clinical application of acupoints. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Wang Wei conducted a study on acupoints and wrote the "Bronze Man Acupuncture Atlas," which detailed 354 acupoints and cast two bronze statues. The statues were engraved with meridians and acupoints on the surface and contained internal organs.
