SLOPEK, Axel, et al.

Eight-Points-Acupuncture and Ancient Chinese Contraindications in Acupuncture: Two Methods of Improving

Acupuncture Treatment Based upon Ancient Chinese Sources, and Clinical Experiences

Critical Review

Eight-Points-Acupuncture and Ancient Chinese

Contraindications in Acupuncture: Two Methods of Improving
Acupuncture Treatment Based upon Ancient Chinese Sources,
and Clinical Experiences
SLOPEK, Axel 1, FENG Hai-tao(冯海涛) 2
1. Quellweg 9, 13629 Berlin, Germany
2. Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China

Abstract: According to ancient and present Chinese sources the Eight Confluent Points are
essentials of acupuncture and can treat all kinds of diseases. They exert a fundamental influence
on the Twelve Regular Meridians and their mobilization can be seen as a necessity for a
successful acupuncture treatment. For this they should play a major role in acupuncture. In
European acupuncture teachings there is also the opinion that by too much needling of the Eight
Confluent Points the qi of the organism might get exhausted which will deteriorate the patient's
symptoms and eventually will create new symptoms. Here it will be shown that deterioration as
well as the creation of new symptoms due to acupuncture is caused by not observing the
contraindications in acupuncture as set up in ancient China provided that syndrome
differentiation, point selection and stimulation have been correct. In opposition to this, all of the
Eight Extraordinary Channels are to be activated at first and then the Twelve Regular Meridians
are to be mobilized in order to achieve therapeutic effects.
Key Words: Acupuncture-Moxibustion; Eight Confluence Points; Eight Extraordinary Channels
CLC Number: R246.9
Document Code: A

Acupuncture and Daoyin both are based upon qi
and its mobilization and movement throughout the
organism as well as its increase within the body by
bringing into the body the qi of the outer world and of
the universe. Also the view on human physiology and
pathology is based upon the obstructed or free flow of
qi and is held the same in acupuncture as in Daoyin.
Therefore it is well worth for acupuncturists to know
the basic theories and principles of Daoyin concerning
the regulation of qi in order to prevent or to cure
diseases and to transfer these principles into clinical
acupuncture. One major difference between Daoyin
theories and acupuncture must be seen in the handling
of the Eight Extraordinary Channels. In acupuncture,
the authors hold the principle "where qi is there is
life" as being the most fundamental and guiding
principle. By needling all of the confluent points
within one treatment there must be a maximum of qi
being available to the organism and therefore a
maximum therapeutic effect must be produced. So the
authors do acupuncture by activating all of the Eight
Extraordinary Channels by needling all of the Eight
Confluent Points at the very beginning of treatment
calling this method "Eight-Points-Acupuncture".
Significant better therapeutic results are to be seen
in acupuncture treatment of obstinate and therapy-
resistant chronic diseases or which are hold as
"uncurable" and especially when the neural system is
involved. In diseases usually treated by acupuncture,
there was not so much therapeutic difference to be
seen compared with the results achieved by Chrono-
Acupuncture or "Qi-Acupuncture"[1]. Whenever
Eight- Points- Acupuncture is selected for treatment it
should be combined with "Qi-Acupuncture" to

Copyright © 2006 Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian︱● 321 ●

 Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, Volume 4, Number 6, 2006 December
achieve the best possible therapeutic effect. This
includes the fact that more needles than usual are to
be used and acupuncture will use more time and give
more pain to the patient. So the authors recommend to
use Eight-Points-Acupuncture for therapy-resistant
chronic diseases or "uncurable" diseases. Otherwise
Eight-Points-Acupuncture should be used as the first
treatment in a treatment course and then only if it is
necessary in order to improve the therapeutic success.
DOU Han-qing (1196-1280 A. D.) had pointed out
that "the Eight Points where two or more Meridians
intersect are essentials of acupuncture, and Eight
Confluent Points can treat 243 kinds of symptoms and
diseases."[2] These eight points can treat medical,
surgical, gynecological, pediatric, orthopedic, derma-
tological diseases, infectious diseases, etc. All these
statements done by different TCM authorities in
different centuries show the fact that the Eight
Confluent Points belong to the most powerful
acupoints due to their ability to dominate all other
acupoints, and that the Eight Confluent Points can
treat 243 kinds of symptoms and diseases. To the
knowledge of the authors, there is no statement to be
found neither in ancient nor in present Chinese
acupuncture literature which provides good reason not
to needle these Eight Confluent Points all together in
one treatment.
Taoists consider the Extraordinary Channels as the
fundament of human physical energy and existence,
as a bridge between the human prenatal (congenital)
Yuan Qi and the human postnatal Qi. These lines of qi
are working at the deepest energetic layer of the body
and exert influence there. Due to this, in Daoyin the
mobilization of the qi flow through the Eight
Extraordinary Channels in the beginning of treatment
is a prerequisite for activation of the qi flow within
the Twelve Regular Meridians. By application of this
theory in acupuncture, the primary needling of all the
Eight Confluent Points can be held as a necessity for
successful needling of acupoints of the Twelve
Regular Meridians.
Because Daoyin as well as acupuncture are based
upon qi and its mobilization and movement
throughout the organism as well as its increase within
the body by extraordinary qi from the Extraordinary
Channels and also by qi of the outer world and the
universe, it seems to be well worth to combine
acupuncture and Daoyin experiences concerning qi to
● 322 ● ︱Copyright©2006 Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian
needle the Eight Confluent Points in a new manner
with consequently achieving better therapeutic results
in acupuncture. So the authors started acupuncture
treatment by mobilizing all of the Eight Extraordinary
Channels by needling all of the Eight Confluent
Points in a defined sequence at the very beginning of
treatment calling this method "Eight-Points-
Acupuncture". "Eight-Points- Acupuncture " is held
as an experimental method and might need
modification in the future.
Needling course of Eight-Points-Acupuncture:
Opening Governor Vessel by Houxi (SI 3),
Conception Vessel by Lieque (LU 7), Thoroughfare
Vessel by Gongsun (SP 4), Belt Vessel by Zulinqi
(GB 41), Yang Link Vessel by Waiguan (TE 5), Yin
Link Vessel by Neiguan (PC 6), Yang Heel Vessel by
Shenmai (BL 62), Yin Heel Vessel by Zhaohai (KI 6).
All confluent points should be needled bilateral in
order to mobilize qi as much as possible. After
needling all of the Eight Confluent Points then their
respective Jing(Well) Points should be needled, too, in
order to get qi from the outer world and the universe
into the body and to improve the effect of the
confluent points.
Here the yang Extraordinary Channels take the lead
followed by their paired yin channels. Of course in
acupuncture, the yin channels can be needled first
followed by their coupled yang partners. In such an
order Conception Vessel is opened at first and then
Governor Vessel. Another modification, which should
be used, is to start with Thoroughfare Vessel as the
very first extraordinary channel to be mobilized
followed by Governor Vessel and Conception Vessel.
Eight-Points-Acupuncture is at present experimental
acupuncture so the different possible modifications
should be used to find out which one is the most
successful one or to find out if the succession in
opening the Extraordinary Channels depends on the
kind of TCM syndrome or Western diagnosis. Until
now no final assessment can be made concerning the
best sequence of the opening of the Extraordinary
Channels except that it is obvious, that Thoroughfare
Vessel, Governor Vessel, and Conception Vessel
should always be the first to be opened followed by
Belt Vessel.
Eight-Points-Acupuncture can be applied as a
single acupuncture method. But in many cases it
might be better and it is recommended in addition to
Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, Volume 4, Number 6, 2006 December
Eight-Points-Acupuncture to perform Qi-Acupuncture,
which always includes chrono- acupuncture methods
like Zi Wu Liu Zhu and Ling Gui Ba Fa[2]. The exact
time of acupuncture should be chosen related to the
main symptom of the patient's disease and in regard to
Ling Gui Ba Fa when the main confluent point
(related to the main symptom) is being "life point"
which means this point is full of qi (with the qi there
is life) and needled at its optimum time for being
acupunctured. Especially in therapy- resistant chronic
diseases and in chronic or acute diseases of the neural
system the Eight-Points-Acupuncture shows imme-
diate and significant curative success no matter how
long the disease exists before.
Until now the Eight Confluent Points together with
their respective Extraordinary Channels and their use
in acupuncture do not occupy the position they should
have in order to treat diseases hard to be cured or
which are resistant to treatment. The method of
needling all of the Eight Confluent Points in one
treatment can cope with any kind of disease and
therefore is independent from any kind of TCM
syndrome differentiation. This is a characteristic of
Eight-Points-Acupuncture, which it shares with the
most powerful acupoints as it is proven for these
points by many statements from ancient and present
time authorities in TCM. Although Eight-Points-
Acupuncture can be applied as a single method, it
should be combined with Qi-Acupuncture in order to
achieve the optimum therapeutic effect[1]. Sometimes
the assumption is heard in some European countries
that in case of too much needling of confluent points
the qi of the Extraordinary Channels, the organism
might get deficient or even exhausted. This opinion is
wrong. Exhaustion of qi due to acupuncture and
specifically due to acupuncture of confluent points is
not possible neither in theory nor in clinic. In case of
too much qi is mobilized from the Extraordinary
Channels and is flowing excessively within the
Regular Meridians it is a main task for the
Extraordinary Channels to take over the surplus of qi
from the regular Meridians as soon as there is a need
to do so. This is stated e.g. by LI Shi-zhen (Ming
Dynasty): "Extraordinary Channels are controlled or
confined by Regular Meridians and there are no
exterior-interior relationships between them.
Extraordinary Channels are like lakes, while the
Twelve Regular Meridians are like irrigation canals.
Copyright©2006 Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian︱● 323
When vital energy in Regular Meridians is exuberant,
it overflows into the Extraordinary ones." Therefore,
an excess of qi (yin qi and yang qi) cannot exist. What
always might exist is an imbalance of yin (yin qi) and
yang (yang qi) within the organism producing
immediate acute and/or chronic symptoms. In
acupuncture treatment of a patient suffering from a
chronic visus reduction down to 10 percent due to a
large retina scar caused by toxoplasmosis, the author
used the same pair of confluent points 55 times and
then another pair of confluent points 3 times, in a
treatment course of 58 treatments within 85 days with
best therapeutic results: The visus improved from 10
percent up to 70 percent (by unchanged scar) and
remained stable and persistent without any further
treatment[1]. Under physiological conditions the
organism will not use more qi than it is actually
needed. In case of pathological conditions the
organism will use up much more qi than this is the
case under a healthy constitution. Therefore, the best
way to safe qi is to finish the pathological status as
soon as possible and if this can be achieved at best
with support of extraordinary qi from the
Extraordinary Channels then the Extraordinary
Channels are to be opened and their extraordinary qi
is to be mobilized no matter if this is to be carried out
one time or many times, no matter if one
extraordinary channel or all of them are to be
activated. Otherwise the pathological status will last
longer and the patients' physical and psychological
sufferings will also last longer with significant more
consumption of vital qi, and consequently
diminishing the patients' quality of life and even
shorten his life span. The highest level of qi in the
organism is at the day of full moon. Warning is given
not to use tonification at that day or not to needle at
all (Su Wen, chapter 26, Ba Zheng Shen Ming Lun).
According to the powers and abilities of qi the authors
hold the day of full moon for the best day to
acupuncture therapy-resistant and "uncurable"
diseases. It is also the best day to perform "Single
Point Acupuncture". Of course the warning of the Su
Wen must be kept in mind and the acupuncturist must
always know what he is doing. The days before and
after the day of full moon are the best for acupuncture.
The authors have used Eight-Points-Acupuncture
together with Qi-Acupuncture in round about 70
acupuncture treatments. So far no negative reactions
●
 Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, Volume 4, Number 6, 2006 December
have been seen. All the following patients treated by
both of these methods showed significant
improvement of their symptoms.
Patient B.P., female, 64 years; no diagnosis by
Western medicine but persistent symptoms as side
effects due to anti-cancer chemotherapy: Extreme
sensitivity disturbance of tips of all fingers and toes
(numbness and tickling feelings) with the feeling of
"wearing shoes with soles 10-15 cm thick" and
stabbing pain at Yongquan (KI 1) and heels of both
feet sometimes radiating through the body up to the
axillas. These symptoms exist since March 1985
starting after the 5th chemotherapy due to ovary
carcinoma and have proven uncurable with Western
medicine. First treatment with Qi-Acupuncture: The
disturbed sensitivity of fingers and toes improved
from "extreme" (++++) down to "medium" (++) and
the "feeling of wearing 10-15 cm thick soles"
diminished down to the "feeling of soles of 5-6 cm
thickness". The next day all the symptoms came back
as strong as they were before going along with a
strong feeling of unrest and uneasiness. Next
treatment Eight-Points-Acupuncture combined with
Qi-Acupuncture was applied. All symptoms
disappeared completely within a few minutes after
insertion of all needles, which remained for
approximately 30 minutes. After removal of the
needles the disturbed feelings of fingers and toes
came back within minutes but were felt only very
slightly (+) and remained so. This case is not finished
yet and needs more acupuncture treatments.
Patient S.S., born April 1962, female, no diagnosis
by Western medicine but persistent symptoms: Strong
burning and stabbing pain (+++) in lower abdomen
since winter 2003; strong feeling of physical
weakness (+++) and functional muscular-neural
disturbances of the whole left side (area of
Gallbladder Meridain, arms & legs); weakness and
occasional crackdown of left arm and leg, in the right
foot feeling of unability to walk, numbness of all
fingers, feeling as if left side of body would be
smaller all since spring 2004; often swelling of the
face and of mucous membranes of the nose and
paranasal cavities including the left ear, according to
tests no allergy known; strong pain in lumbar region
(+++) since 2002; migraine since 2004; chronic pain
in right big toe; sometimes pain in the throat; fast
pulse rate (90-100 beats/minute) with extraordinary-
● 324 ● ︱Copyright©2006 Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian
systoles several times a week, feeling of unability to
walk in right upper leg since summer 2004; burning
pain in upper arm since autumn 2004; headache,
dizziness, itching of eyes, burning feeling in upper
legs and abdomen since December 2004. These
symptoms became strong to extreme (+++ –– ++++)
and persistent and there were neither diagnosis nor
relief according to Western medicine. After the first
treatment with Qi-Acupuncture (August 2005) there
was a slight improvement of symptoms. After 10
treatments with Qi-Acupuncture all the pain of the
patient had ended and the pathological neurological
feelings improved down to "medium" (++). After the
first Eight-Points-Acupuncture combined with
Qi-Acupuncture all the neurological symptoms were
finished completely and immediately. They returned
to "minimal" (+) a few days later. The second Eight-
Points-Acupuncture combined with Qi-Acupuncture
was carried out and again all neurological symptoms
ended completely. This case is not finished yet.
In summary, acupuncture should be concentrated
on qi, on its optimum and maximum mobilization,
movement, and increase by bringing into the body the
qi from the outer world and the universe by using the
Jing-(Well-)Points of the meridians and by some other
acupoints, e.g. Baihui (GV 20) or Laogong (PC 8), by
using chrono-acupuncture methods, and by using the
Eight Confluent Points together in form of
Eight-Points-Acupuncture regularly as the first
treatment to begin with and if necessary more often.
More experiences with Qi-Acupuncture, Eight-Points
-Acupuncture, and observation as well as non-
observation of the TCM-based ancient contra-
indications are needed in order to avoid insufficient
acupuncture treatment and deterioriation of symptoms
as well as creation of new symptoms due to
acupuncture.
References
[1] Slopek, Axel, FENG Haitao. Qi-Acupuncture: An Effective
and Simple Acupuncture Method Based Upon Ancient
Chinese Acupuncture Literature and Clinical Experience,
Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, 2005, 3(3):
59-62.
[2] LIU Bing-quan. Optimum Time for Acupuncture: A
Collection of Traditional Chinese Chrono-therapeutics,
Shandong Science and Technology Press, 1988: 74.
Received Date: October 20, 2006