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Acupuncture
Facts
How is acupuncture performed?
In
ancient times, the number of acupuncture points was established
to be the same as the number of days in the year: 365. These
points were mapped to 14 major meridian lines, one meridian
for each of the 12 inner organs, one meridian along the
spine (called the governing vessel), and another along the
midline of the abdomen (called the conception vessel).
More
recently, the number of points identified by acupuncturists
has exploded. There are extra meridians (some of them outlined
in ancient times, others modern) with their own sets of
points, there are special points (off meridians), and there
are complete mappings of body structures and functions by
points along the outer ears, on the nose, in the scalp,
on the hands, on the feet, and at the wrists and ankles.
Despite the growing number of treatment zones, most acupuncturists
still utilize the traditionally-identified points on the
14 main meridians. On each meridian there are a small number
of points used repeatedly, because of their versatility,
for a wide variety of patients and diseases.
This
is done with acupuncture needles or by smoldering an herb
over the area. The needles are slender, barely larger than
the thickness of several human hairs. They are pre-sterilized,
single-use disposable stainless steel.
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