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About Acupuncture and Acupressure

An Ancient Form of Energy Healing

Acupuncture meridians of the back© Fotomy | Dreamstime.com

Acupuncture is among the most widely recognized, respected, and practiced form of energy medicine today. In 2024, over 10 million people in the U.S. reported that they had received acupuncture treatment in the previous year, according to the National Institutes for Health. Many conventional medical insurers will pay for it as treatment for back pain, deeming it's effectiveness sufficiently well documented.

Chi, Meridians and Acupoints

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, subtle energy is called qi, chi, or ki--variations on the same spelling.

This ancient form of energy medicine works with balancing the flow of qi through the body's meridian system.

Meridians are pathways for subtle energy in the body. There are 14 meridians (some experts say as many as 20). Learn more about the body's meridian system here.

Chi flows continuously through these pathways -- similar to blood through our blood vessels -- nourishing, maintaining and restoring all the body’s organ systems. However, chi can become blocked, stagnant, deficient, or otherwise imbalanced.

Along the meridians are some 500 tiny points near the skin surface — acupoints or tsubos — that can be stimulated with needles, physical pressure, or other means to balance and restore the flow of energy.

Using a complex process of diagnosis based on Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, acupuncturists insert extremely tiny needles into acupoints along indicated meridians to unblock qi and restore balance to the body's life energy. This is usually painless or nearly painless.

Acupressure uses finger or hand pressure applied to acupoints to accomplish the same purposes. While acupuncture requires years of study, acupressure is less precise and can be easily learned and safely practiced by the general public.

Here's a good resource for learning acupressure:

  • I love Michael Reed Gach's book, Potent Points, and his website, www.acupressure.com. It's comprehensive and his explanations are very good.

There are many other good online resources for learning about acupuncture in general and specific meridians in particular.

A Variety Of Acupuncture-Based Therapies

Meridian therapy been widely researched by Western scientists and found to be effective for a   variety of physical problems, including various kinds of pain (especially lower back pain). It is considered to be very safe.

In the field of energy medicine, there are many techniques that are based on the meridian system. These include EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and many of Donna Eden's techniques.

You can learn more at http://nccam.nih.gov/health


Some Acupressure Techniques

Learn how to locate and use the Hoku Point here. The Hoku Point is widely used for pain, especially headaches, for releasing energy, and for bringing energy down (meaning lower in the body). It should not be used by pregnant people.

Learn some acupressure techniques for headaches. Acupressure can be a wonderful way to help yourself or loved ones with headaches.

Learn how to trace the meridians, a Donna Eden technique.  This technique is very useful for self-care. It is an overall  energy balancer.


The world of Traditional Chinese Medicine is complex. This page is intended as a brief introduction only. If you're interested, I encourage you to seek out expert training and advice!



Return from Acupuncture to Types of Energy Healing main page.  Learn more about other types of energy healing!



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