THEOEY OF FIVE PHASE ACUPUNCTURE POINTS
Within the essences of Traditional Chinese Medicine theory there is the underlying assumption of there being one of five elements in the nature of all things. These elements are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The theory suggests natural phenomenon moves in sequence through each of the states of these five elements. This is suggested by the analogy of wood allows fire; after fire there are coals, which become part of the earth; the earth then creates metal etc.
Acupuncture theory has used the five phase model and in turn developed a system of acupuncture point prescription based on the theory. Each of the five shu points is assigned to either one of the elements.
On the yin acupuncture channels: jing well acupuncture points are said to represent wood; ying spring points represent fire; shu stream points represent earth; jing river points represent metal; and he seas points represent water. On the yang acupuncture channels: jing well acupuncture points are said to represent metal; ying spring points represent water; shu stream points represent wood; jing river points represent fire; and he sea points represent earth.
There is a famous ancient acupuncture text called the “Classic Difficulties”. This book introduces and explains how five phase theory can be used in the practice of acupuncture. This theory is consistent with the sequence of one element being born out of another. It suggests shu acupuncture points can be manipulated to create a therapeutic response consistent with the shu points either side of them on the acupuncture channel. The theory poetically states that in cases where a deficiency is present to reinforce the mother thereby in turn strengthening the son (or the next shu point on the acupuncture channel). In contrast for cases of excess, reduce the child which in turn will absorb the excess of the mother (the previous shu point on the acupuncture channel).
For example the lungs pertain to metal. On the lung channel, the metal point is the ying spring acupuncture point (which is lung 8 or Jingqu). To treat a case of lung deficiency a five phase acupuncture treatment would strengthen the mother (lung 9 or Taiyuan), and to treat a case of excess in the lungs the water point (lung 5 or Chize) would be reduced.
