The choice of Acupuncture points for AP therapy

CONCLUSIONS

The choice of points in vet AP depends on which system (traditional or transpositional) is being followed. It also depends on one's depth of AP knowledge. Novices usually use the Cookbook Method of point selection but they should try to fulfil some of the Laws and to choose points which help the "whole patient", not just the more obvious symptoms.

In the transposition method a therapeutic index can be consulted in one or more human textbooks, or the student may make a personal cumulative therapeutic index from many sources and may rank the points by citation frequency. This will enable him/her to draw up lists of primary, secondary and tertiary points. From these lists one may select 1 to 12 (occasionally more than 12) points but one should ensure at least 2 of the following Laws are fulfilled in each point combination used:

1. Sensitive points (AhShi, Trigger Points etc). Be careful to examine for sensitive areas on surgical or other scars. If these are related to symptoms, treat the scar. (See the paper on "Methods of stimulating the AP points").

2.TianYing points (focus of a swelling etc).

3. Choose local points along affected Channels or nearby Channels.

4. Choose points along the affected Channels choose points on related Channels

5. Distant points on affected Channels

6. Points on related Channels

7. Some of the MASTER POINTS, especially Mu, Shu, Yuan, Luo and Xi points. Mu and Shu are often combined, as are the Yuan for the affected Channels and the Luo for the Phase-Mate Channel.

8. Combination of local and distant points on relevant Channels

9. Points according to the symptoms

10. Points according to the innervation

11. Fore and Aft points

12. Earpoints

In vet AP, few vets are expert enough to use the classical method of balancing the Channels by using the Five Phase Theory and the 66 Command Points. French colleagues are probably the most expert in this area, as they study the classic concepts in very great depth. Although vets in USA and other countries learn this system, few of them study it deep enough to be really familiar with it. Do not let this deter you!

One old Law of AP states that points on one side of the body may be used to treat problems on the opposite side. This is one aspect of the "Law of Opposites". However, it is more usual to use points on the same side as a local problem unless the problem is in the midline (or near it), in which case points are needled bilaterally.

In certain cases, contralateral points may be used. For example, in motor paralysis, Motor Points (on the Scalp) are needled on the side opposite to the paralysis. In toothache, left LI04 may be used to treat pain in the right jaw (although, more commonly, ipsilateral LI04 is used).

It may be desirable to alternate the points between different sessions if the student is unhappy with his first selection or if the results are not satisfactory.

In other cases of paralysis, contralateral body points (on the "good" limb) are used as well as ipsilateral points. In the Appendix to this paper a list of AP prescriptions is given.

Vets using the traditional AP system may use the therapeutic index in a suitable textbook or may construct their own index from many sources. However, there is a major difficulty of integration of various sources because of differences in point location, nomenclature and alphanumeric coding between various texts and even within texts.