Choice of Acupuncture points for particular conditions

CONCLUSIONS

Cookbooks or computerised prescribing is very valuable for beginners and for those working in a clinic. However, one should not rely too much on machines or computers. Computers need electrical power. In national disaster and warfare, and in many of the developing countries, electrical power, batteries etc may be unavailable where they are needed most. Therefore, it is important for the development of medicine and veterinary medicine that as many professionals as possible should study the basics of AP. This learning process can be accelerated by interaction with a computerised database (Rogers 1984a). Adequate knowledge of AP will enable it to be used more widely in field work (large animal work, medics and paramedics in the bush).

Although the data reported here (Appendices 1,2,3) are but a small fraction of the database, it is obvious that for most conditions, the Top Ten Points usually will be worth considering. However, in some complicated cases, points not in the Top Ten may be most relevant. The statistical method is very useful for population medicine, but it may be disastrous for the unfortunate patients who need individually designed care.

As a general rule, if a Cookbook prescription does not produce definite results by 2-3 sessions, it is necessary to (a) change the choice of points, or (b) consider other therapies, or (c) regard yourself as unable to assist.

The enthusiastic amateur AP practitioner will get useful results with the COOKBOOK but more complicated or deeply rooted problems require more holistic (traditional + modern + complementary + intuitive) therapy. Therefore, I strongly encourage you to continue your study of Chinese AP in depth. To get the best results, use the cookbook as the first-line of attack (in conditions amenable to AP) but be prepared to fall back on traditional and other methods if results do not follow quickly (Rogers 1984b). This assumes that the user is trained in basic AP and is able to interpret the point selections.

When using the prescriptions given in this paper, please note (a) the number of references in the prescriptions, (b) the maximum possible score, (c) the score of each point in the list (calculated by ratio to the maximum possible score), and (d) the variation in scores between points. If there are few references, the prescription may be of doubtful value. If the maximum possible score is (say) .90 and the max. score for any point is (say) less than .40, the prescription may be doubtful. If there is little variation between the scores and all scores are greater than .40, various combinations of points should be equally effective.

Remember that the best prescriptions usually combine AhShi points, LOCAL points, DISTANT points and (if internal organs are involved) Mu + Shu + Yuan + Luo combinations. Thus, the wheel turns full circle. The traditional methods of point selection were best after all. Modern technology has merely re-invented the wheel !