28-minute acupoint patting

What are acupoints?

• The human body can be compared to a circuit board with complex circuits, and acupoints are like the key nodes on the circuit board. These nodes are distributed in various parts of the body, and they are important stations for the circulation of the body’s energy (referred to as “Qi” in traditional Chinese medicine) and information. Just as the nodes on the circuit board control the flow of electric current, acupoints affect the balance and flow of the internal energy within the body.
• Imagine the human body as a city. Acupoints are the transportation hubs in the city. Meridians are the roads connecting these hubs, and Qi and blood (energy and nutrients) are like the vehicles traveling on the roads. They are distributed and regulated through the acupoints to ensure the normal operation of the whole city (the body).
• Take a headache as an example. There are some acupoints around the head, such as the Taiyang acupoint. When people have a headache, pressing the Taiyang acupoint appropriately is like pressing the pause button on a “pain alarm”. This is because pressing the Taiyang acupoint can regulate the circulation of Qi and blood around the head. It’s like dredging a blocked small river channel to make the flow of water (Qi and blood) smooth again, thus relieving the pain.
• Analogize acupoints with nerve reflex points or trigger points (Trigger Point) in Western medicine. In Western medicine, when certain parts of the body are stimulated, specific physical reactions will be triggered. Acupoints also have a similar function, but the influence range of acupoints may be wider, involving not only the reactions of muscles and nerves but also the regulation of the overall Qi and blood as well as the functions of internal organs in the body. For example, acupoint stimulation may cause the body’s autonomic nervous system to respond, which has some similarities with the Western medical understanding of the nervous system’s regulation of body functions.