The principle that an energy or life force called qi flows throughout the body is the basis that acupuncture is based on. All illness, pain or unwell feelings are believed to be caused due to the natural flow of qi being interrupted, altered or changed in some way. Acupuncture points or 'acupoints' as they are known, are targeted to achieve the goal of restoring the natural flow of qi to the body.



There are specific acupoints in the body that need to be targeted in order to achieve the desired results. Specific points are used for specific ailments. The science of acupuncture has been used by the Chinese culture for over 3000 years. The pressure points used in acupuncture are the same whether the treatment be laser acupuncture, sonopuncture or acupressure.

Our bodies consist of hundreds of acupuncture points. All these points are located on what we call 'meridians'. Meridians are points that correlate to various parts of our body. An untrained person may see these meridians not seem to connect, e.g. in order to relieve a headache, one would treat a part of a hand. In addition to meridian points there are numerous pressure points throughout our bodies. An acupuncture practitioner will treat the appropriate pressure points to relieve the pain or discomfort endured as a patient.

When the correct pressure points are treated, they stimulate the flow of qi back to that part of the body assisting in the healing of the condition. Acupuncturists are trained to know which pressure points relate to which part of the body are able to locate the correct points for the required treatment. An example is a headache. It is necessary to know which pressure points to stimulate in order to relieve the pain and get the required result. The pressure point may not be anywhere near the head and could be in the hand or foot.

Qi flows throughout the body in a never-ending stream, so it is quite conceivable that the specific pressure point to be treated could be located on the complete opposite side of the body from where the pain or discomfort is felt.

Professionals use many categories of pressure points to treat different conditions and will choose the points connected to that part of the body causing discomfort. One of the most common methods used is the Five Transporting Point system. Other methods include the Five Points Phases, Xi-Cleft, Back-shu, Lou-connecting and a variety of others.