THEORIES OF ACUPUNCTURE

Dr. Shuhaib Riyaloo H.H.A., M.D. (Acu.)

ACUSH Acupuncture Training Centre, Kuttippuram.

YIN YANG
Everything this world is classified into two; that is Yin and Yang. Though they look like opposites,
they are complementary. There is no Yin without Yang, and no Yang without Yin.
When both Yin and Yang equal, there is harmony. One can be healthy if his Yin and Yang are equal;
our health is affected when there is decrease or increase of one of these two.
YIN
Coldness

YANG
Hotness

Darkness

Brightness

Slow and steady

High speed

Moving down

Moving Up

Peace

Violence

Womanly

Manly

Moon

Sun

Night

Day

Winter

Summer

Weakness

Strength

Right side of male

Right side of female

Chronic

Acute

Solid

Hollow

Sea

Mountain

Front of the body

Back of the body

Lower half of body

Upper half of body

Yin Organs

Yang Organs

Liver
Heart
Spleen
Lung
Kidney
Pericardium

Gall Bladder
Small Intestine
Stomach
Large Intestine
Urinary Bladder
Tripple Warmer

FIVE ELEMENT THEORIES

According to the traditional Chinese concepts
the whole universe is divided into five
elements. These are not the old Greek element
nor do they belong to the periodic table of
modern physical science. Further the names of
the element do not signify exactly the same
material in the strict, literally sense.
The five element exit in the heaven and the
same element exist on the earth. In the living
body they symbolize the internal organ and
their cycles explain the phenomenon of nature.
Fire symbolizes heart, small intestine,
pericardium and triple warmer; earth
symbolizes stomach and spleen; Metal stands
for lung and large intestine;
Water symbolizes kidney and urinary bladder; and wood represents liver and gall bladder. We know
that each one of these organ posses its own meridian. These elements symbolize those particular
meridians too.
These five elements are consequently transformed into one another and there are two cycle of
events in this process of transformation creative (shen) cycle and destructive (Ko) cycle.
Creative (Shen) cycle: According to the Big Bang theory, many balls of fire went out of the sun,
cooled and become planets. Earth is a planet. The sun has created earth. The fire burns and changes
everything into the earth. Air and Metal are available in the Earth. Earth creates Air and Metal. Air
freezes and becomes water. Air creates Water. Water helps the wood to grow. Water creates wood.
Wood helps the fire to burn. Wood created fire.
Control ( Ko) cycle:
Fire burns and melts the metal. It controls the metal. Metal cuts the Wood
and thereby controls the wood. The Wood grows deep into the Earth. Hence the wood controls the
Earth. Earth absorbs all the water and controls the water. Water puts out the fire and controls the
fire. This is called control cycle.
Jing Luo Theory.
The routes through which Qi flows in the body are known as meridians or channels. In chines they
are termed Jing Lou ( Jing path and Luo connection ).
Meridians running vertically from below upwards or above downwards are the main meridians and
traditionally termed as Jing. There were 12 paired main meridians and 2 extra meridians. The
collateral connection that link the main meridian together are called Luo.
Mother and Son Law: Qi always flow from mother to the son. For the proper feeding the mother
should be well nourished herself and the child should be strong enough to recive. In the flow of
energy the son becomes the mother of the following meridian after reciving the energy and in turn
the recipient organ again becomes the mother of the next follwoing organ.
Thus: Fire is the mother of the Earth, Earth son of the Fire.
Earth is the mother of Air/Metal, Air/ Metal son of the Earth.
Thus a cycle is created on this mother and son relationship. This is creative cycle.

Organ clock theory: The energy flows in a particular path in the 12 meridians and in a particular time
in each meridian. These energy flows all the 24 hours as below.
Lung

3 am to 5 am

Large Intestine 5 am to 7 am
Stomach

7 am to 9 am

Spleen

9 am to 11 am

Heart

11 am to 1 pm

Small Intestine 1 pm to 3 pm
Urinary Bladder 3 pm to 5 pm
Kidney

5 pm to 7 pm

Pericardium

7 pm to 9 pm

Tripple Warmer 9 pm to 11 pm
Gall Bladder

11 pm to 1 am

Liver

1 am to 3 am

CMPLICATION AND CONTRA INDICATIONS OF ACUPUNCTURE

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Needle dystocia
Bent Needle
Broken needle
Fainting
Injury to internal organ
Bleeding
Infection
Forgotten needle

Contra indication: As such acupuncture does not have any contra indications but it should not be
given in certain physiological and pathological condition where it may lead to certain adverse
effects. Acupuncture in condition like pregnancy, full stomach, and empty stomach, acute cardiac
and congestive cardiac failure may result in abortion, vomiting, fainting and cardiac arrest
respectively.

Types of Acupuncture Points.

We have 12 meridians connected to 12 organs of our body. Each meridian has a number of
Acupuncture points. Following types of Acupuncture points in each meridian.
1. Xi Cleft points: These points are used in treating acute diseases. Each meridian has one Xi Cleft
point.
2. Yuan source point: These points used in treatment of chronic disorders. The total energy of the
respective meridian is focused on this point. Each meridian has one Yuan source point.
3. Alarm point: These points become very tender as soon as the related organ becomes diseased.
Each organ has two alarm points, one on the anterior surface of the body and another posterior side

of the body Front side alarm point known as Mu front alarm point and back alarm point is known as
Back Shu point. When pain eradicated diseases the pain on the alarm point is disappears.
4. Luo connecting points: These points connect the pair of meridian pathways.
Lung to Large intestine
Kidney to urinary bladder
Liver to Gall bladder
Spleen to Stomach
Heart to Small intestine
Pericardium to Triple warmer
5.Local point: When we have pain in any part of the body, the points around that part are called
Local point, i.e. points around the knee in any meridian is known as local point of knee.
6. Distal point: A distal point controls a big well defined area of the body. There are 6 distal point on
the body.
LU 7: Back of the head, neck, upper back, lungs.
LI 4: Front of the head, face, front neck.
P 6: Heart, diaphragm, chest.
UB 40: Middle and lower back, Genito urinary disorder.
ST 36: Abdomen & abdomen organs.
SP 6: Pelvic organs and external genitalia.
7. Tissue Points or Influential points: A tissue point affects specific tissue of the entire body. For
examples the GB 34 affects the muscles of the body. The points Lu 9 affects the blood vessels of
the whole body.
Tissue Points or Influential points are:
1. Blood Vessels
LU 9
2. Respiratory Tissue
CV 17
3. Bone and Marrow
GB 39
4. Bone and Cartilage
UB 11
5. Muscles and tendon
GB 34
6. Blood
UB 17
7. Hollow Organs
CV 12
8. Solid organ
Liv 13
8.Analgesic point: These points are pain relieving points. They are LI 4, ST 44.
9. Homeostatic and immune increasing Points: These points increases our immunity. They prevent
the diseases. These points help to normalize blood pressure, body temperature, heat rate,
respiratory rate etc. they act on the hypothalamus which is the seat of autonomic nervous system.
These points are curative and also preventive.
Points LI 11. ST 36, SP 6, GV 14.
10.Sedative points: These points calm the mind when it is stimulated.
GV 20, X 6, H 7, UB 62, P 6.
11.Dangerous Point: These points are situated near the important organs. We should be very careful
when we insert the needle. Only experienced therapist can use in these points.
11.Dangerous Point:
UB 1 & UB 10 LI 18
DU 15, 16
LU 1
P1
LIV 3
SP 4 & UB 67 H1
ST 21
ST 1
REN 8
ST 17
Moxibustion treatment can be done on the above points.

12. Jing well point: These points are used in emergencies as sudden fainting, heat stroke,
convulsion, cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, etc. these points are life saving points. All the points in
the finger tips and toe tips belongs to this category.