Which points to choose?

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

First about the huatuo and ashi (or "ouch") points. Huatuo points are basically right next to the spine on either side - this is described on the huatuojiaji points page. The ashi or "ouch" points are simply where it hurts. For example, if you had arthritis you would tap the huatuo of T1, T2, and T3 (among others) and then perhaps right where you have pain say your left thumb or right wrist as examples.

With regards to palpating the points on yourself (you obviously cannot do that on your own for the huatuo points anyhow). This is less important with Tong Ren and more important with acupuncture and tuina using the Tam Healing system. Generally if you have a specific condition and it is listed in the guide then just use the points listed there regardless.

As to what points to choose when you have multiple conditions - first, you should actually have the condition that you are tapping for - otherwise what are you going to heal? If you want to tap for prevention you could use the points for energy (low) which are fairly general and building to the body.

If you have multiple conditions then if you were to layout the points you will most often see some similarities. But you often have to think of the root condition and treat that. For example if you have fatigue and insomnia - there is a very good chance that the insomnia is leading to your energy problems - so treat the insomnia. If you have low back pain and knee problems - focus on the back first as that effects the knees, etc.

Comment by Archived User

For hemorrhoid pain, there are extra points name: " Er Bai", on both side of " Muscle flexor carpi radialis" and 4 cun above wrist&#39s horizontal line. and you can eat "Zhi Chuang Ling" kinds of pills.

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

Feng, he is asking about Tong Ren Therapy (note the forum). Just FYI.

Comment by Archived User

If the patient can withstand pain,the acupuncturist can use GV 2,BL 25 and 35 by point injection method combined with Er Bai.I had used and relieve bleeding pile .

Comment by Archived User

I wonder how I could find blockages on myself. I read the article about tong ren here that it&#39s easily to be find. I&#39d like to concentrate on healing that specific blocked areas but it&#39s difficult since I don&#39t know where the stem of my problems is. I just did find some places on my head which pain when I touch them but it&#39s difficult to observe spinal area by myself. I do practise qi gong but I&#39m a beginner and can&#39t feel any flow of qi or blockage either. Could shiatsu therapist for instance recognize that blockage?

Comment by Archived User

Yes, when the practitioner use hand touch the local muscle which is stiff or swollen than other place, that is the blockage. Normally is because of Qi and Blood stagnation cause the muscle or tendon become hard, if it is just on the point, that is stem the qi channel, if it is not on any channels&#39 point, it called Ashi point or Ouch point. The treatment is to promote blood circle and remove the qi on the local muscle, so when you check out where the prolblem is, you can use acupuncture or Tuina to treat them, and for youself also can do Qi Gong or Tai Chi, by the way, about the Qi feeling is very difficult for some people, because when you use the remote control open your car, you never feel the energy field on the air, but it is real in there, you just do it, you will get benefit of it.

Comment by Archived User

The way that I understand Tong Ren Therapy is it is a synthesis of western anatomy/physiology and eastern energy/acupuncture. So to find the best points required you need to understand and combine both systems. Sure you can just look up the points in the book, but that is just the beginning of the learning process.

For western, you look at points related to anatomy (bones muscles flesh etc.), circulatory, nervous, metabolism, endocrine, immune. This requires understanding of the systems involved. You are encouraged to get a diagnosis from your doctor so that you can treat the western aspects properly. Once you have a diagnosis, you can better choose the points that are related to the physical aspects of the condition.

A little internet research and thought can also help to understand how the systems work and help you to understand how the points in the book work. For example the vagus nerve is critical for anything that involves the internal organs because it is how the brain and organs communicate, so it is used often for any issue with the internal organs. Another example is the medulla that regulates breath and blood vessels, so that area may be involved with blood pressure or also with breathing control issues. Then you can move to the spine which has nerves that also map to parts of the body. And for complaints in specific areas of the body, tapping on the blood vessels that go to that area to improve circulation can help. And then you can also use the Ouch Point which is the location of the pain is felt or where the disease has manifested.

For eastern, you look at the meridians based on location and energy function that are related to the symptoms. This requires an understanding of the energy pathways. For a basic understanding you can just look at the doll and get some idea of what parts of the body are affected, but there are also points that are more subtle and require deeper understanding. There is also the huatuojiaji points of the spine which reflex to areas of the body, which is beautiful because it is so simple and intuitive once you see a map of the nerves that run from the spine out to the body. Sometimes being sensitive to energy can help deal with the energy blockages, but sometimes that can also distract you if you start playing whack-a-mole and chase the energy effects you feel without understanding how the meridians function or the nature of how energy moves around. Sometimes less is more and it is better to focus deliberately on specific points that are the main cause of the blockages rather than jumping around a lot in reaction.

As an example of combining the two systems, say you have a headache. If you know that it is related to muscle stress, etc, then you would use points like the SCM to relax the shoulders. And in terms of energy, for a headache you often want to tap on the LV3 and K1 points to bring the energy down. Note also in this example that the areas you tap are not the same as the area of the pain symptoms. But it is more related to the root cause of the problem.

When you do Tong Ren, the idea is to understand the root cause of your energy blockage. In general you want to start with the most serious and oldest condition(s) which is the origin of your issues. Then you move out to less severe and more recent issues. And I think that it is also a very important comment above that mentioned looking for points in common. You can sort of do this by just taking your complaints and listing out all of the points for each and noting where there is commonality. But by studying further you can take this approach to a much deeper level and actually focus in on the blockages by understanding the systems involved. Becoming an active member (tapper) in a Guinea pig class is a great help here. It takes a while for the information how it all works to seep in.