a comment on point location

[Guest guest]

I was taught that points are found through sensation of Ch'i by the

fingers of the practitioner. Not by palpation or painful pressure but

by the ability of the practitioner to feel the energy.

As Dr Van Nghi once said " it is important to know exactly where the

points are on your chart. That way if your chart ever gets sick you

can treat it. On a patient you must find the point with your fingers.

The chart only shows you where to look. "

 

Doc Rosen

[Guest guest]

Doc,

 

There are three questions that I have asked

every teacher I've had over the past 32 years:

 

1. what is qi?

2. what is yin and yang?

3. what is an acupuncture point?

 

If you take a look at the first chapter of

Who Can Ride the Dragon? you'll see that

these three questions are considered from

the perspective of finding suitable English

cognates for the three terms involved.

 

In the clinic, of course, a term is only

as good as, well, a word or two. In other

words, a good term won't get the job done.

 

My personal preference when it comes to

point location is to just grope my way

blindly along the patient's body until

the right place emerges. I tell my students

when I'm teaching tuina that one of the

great strengths of massage as a therapeutic

modality is that we can diagnose and treat

in one breath...yi1 qi4 he1 cheng2.

 

Even when I use needles, I find the points

more or less by the method you describe.

 

I've come to appreciate that there is

not a single place on the body that cannot

be considered and used as an " acupuncture

point " ...if it is the right place at

the right time.

 

Steve Birch also said something in a workshop

at Rothenburg a couple years back that

has left an impression on me. He said that

if you have proper technique, i.e., needling

technique, you can benefit the patient treating

any point. He used the metaphor of a great

pianist. With proper technique, a great musician

can make music on any instrument. Of course

a fine insturment will make even more beautiful

music. But the point is that if you sit a novice

down at a Steinway, it will still just sound

like noise.

 

One other curious phenomenon I've observed,

in students, other practitioners, and my

own experience, is the capacity to simply

know (recognize) the point that needs attention.

 

Over the years, with increasing frequency,

I find that patients ask me, " Hey, how did

you know that was the place that's bothering me? "

 

I would not rule out palpation and painful

pressure either. I wouldn't rule anything

out. The body is full of information. Some

of it is constantly streaming out. Some

needs to be poked and prodded. Some hides

and has to be dug out.

 

The question that your comment raises,

which has also fascinated me...and many

others over the years is, " So what is

the significance of the locations that

are memorialized on the charts? "

 

Perhaps it's no more complex than

the recognition that it is very difficult

to verify another person's perceptions,

and the charts allow for a common denominator

approach that satisfies largely social

issues of safety and fundamental competence.

 

But it is certainly a valuable observation

that you attribute to Dr. Van Nghi that

we are treating people, not paper charts.

 

Thanks for your comment.

 

Ken

[Guest guest]

Hola Ken,

Thanks for the perspective.

You asked;

>So what is

the significance of the locations that

are memorialized on the charts?<

IMHO the charts are a rough map that tells us where to look for the

points nada mas.

L'hitraot,

Doc

 

Chinese Medicine , " kenrose2008 "

<kenrose2008> wrote:

> Doc,

>

> There are three questions that I have asked

> every teacher I've had over the past 32 years:

>

> 1. what is qi?

> SNIP

[Guest guest]

An aside:

Not only that, but with a practitioner with well-cultivated qi,

the patient can feel the point as well....a meeting of

the qi....!! BTW: That's with no pressure involved. Kit

 

 

 

At 01:29 AM 7/27/03 +0000, you wrote:

>

> I was taught that points are found through sensation of Ch'i by the

> fingers of the practitioner. Not by palpation or painful pressure but

> by the ability of the practitioner to feel the energy.

> As Dr Van Nghi once said " it is important to know exactly where the

> points are on your chart. That way if your chart ever gets sick you

> can treat it. On a patient you must find the point with your fingers.

> The chart only shows you where to look. "

>

> Doc Rosen 

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/26/2003 9:30:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time, drdrdoc writes:

 

I was taught that points are found through sensation of Ch'i by the

fingers of the practitioner. Not by palpation or painful pressure but

by the ability of the practitioner to feel the energy.

As Dr Van Nghi once said "it is important to know exactly where the

points are on your chart. That way if your chart ever gets sick you

can treat it. On a patient you must find the point with your fingers.

The chart only shows you where to look."

 

Doc Rosen

 

I have to agree. People change and as they do, it seems that so does the point. Sometimes points are wide, sometimes tight and the "active" spot will move around.

I have noticed a better response when I locate and needle the "active" point rather than when I just follow the CAM.

 

Chris