Acupuncture Alarm Points



Each one of the 12 major Meridians of the body has one special acupuncture point. This point is sometimes called the Mu point and it is associated with the organ for which the Meridian is named. These points are also called acupuncture alarm points. All but two of them are located on the chest and abdomen. The remaining two are located at the tip of the eleventh and the twelfth ribs. The one on the eleventh rib is associated with the Spleen Meridian. The one on the twelfth rib is associated with the Kidney Meridian.

When an organ name is used to describe a Meridian, it is capitalized. This is to distinguish it from the actual organ. Although organs are associated with the Meridians, this association is not total and that explains the capitalization. The acupuncture alarm points, however, are located directly above the organ that is used to name the Meridian. These points are very powerful and have a dramatic effect when they are involved in treatment.

In order to use these acupuncture alarm points to the maximum, a practitioner must understand the relationships between Meridians and various body systems. For example, the Lung Meridian controls all things having to do with the skin. The Kidney Meridian controls muscles and ligaments. Even the different emotions such as grief, worry, and anger are also each associated with different Meridians. Direct stimulation of the alarm point can have a dramatic effect on the system controlled by the Meridian. This stimulation can be manual, electrical, or through normal acupuncture needling.

This system of acupuncture alarm points exists also in some of the holistic acupuncture systems such as Koryo Sooji Chim, or Korean Hand Acupuncture. These systems basically repeat the pattern of the body acupuncture on smaller parts of the body such as the scalp or the ear. In the case of Korean Hand Acupuncture, all the major Meridians and therefore all the corresponding acupuncture alarm points would be located on the hand as well as there normal places on the body.

Acupuncture alarm points sometimes show redness or tenderness. This is thought to be a signal of a potential problem with the associated organ systems. This is part of the reason why they are called alarm points. An examination to diagnose a patient in Traditional Chinese Medicine would involve a review of the alarm points as a standard part of the procedure.