38 Magic points for military and community medical services!
Introduction to Pingheng Acupuncture
Pingheng (平衡, Balance) Acupuncture (PHA) was innovated by Professor Wang Wen Yuan (1945~ ), a professor at Beijing University of TCM, Chef of the National Military Balance Acupuncture Training Centre. Wang Wen Yuan initiated the system based on his rich experience in treating military training injuries. PHA was first popularized in military health care services. Thanks to its fast effectiveness, requirements of few needles (mostly only one needle), convenience, and safety, it was honored as the “Community Health Promotion Program” by China’s Ministry of Health in 2005 and State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2006, and was selected as one of the “First Promotion of Appropriate Techniques to Treat Common Diseases” by State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2009. After over 30 years of developement, PHA has gained attraction from doctors all around China, not only in general hospitals in big cities but also in primary clinics in remote areas. According to the search outcome from the China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database (KNS, http://oversea.cnki.net/kns55/default.aspx) 734 research articles have been published so far. Now it’s a common and well-known acupuncture approach to treat patients, especially those who suffer pain, mental disorders, and chronic illness. For instance, a meta-analysis showed that Pingheng Acupuncture was an effective and safe way of treating the pain in Neck-Shoulder-Lower Back-Legs [1]. To our knowledge, rare reports are published by international journals, which means PHA should call more attention to facilitating acupuncturists and benefit patients worldwide.
Mechanism of PHA
The theory of PHA originates from the theories of meridians and nerves. It’s the combination of Heart-Shen Controlling in CM and Nervous Regulating. According to PHA, the human body has a self-balancing system i.e. the central controller which is also called Xin-Nao (heart and brain) in CM. A needling stimulation to acupoint results in the regulating/adjusting of Qi and blood i.e. energy substances, which promotes the body to cure itself.
Characteristics of PHA
Single Point, Fast Inserting and Withdrawing, Instant Effect, Emphasis on Deqi, Points Name, Easily Understood and Memorized, Movement and Stimulation, Safety
Principle of Selecting Points
For certain conditions, a specific location is selected, e.g. blood-sugar reducing point, insomnia point. For most of the pain points, if it happens only on one side of the body, acupoint is selected contra-laterally i.e. left-right or upper-lower. For example, the neck pain point on the left side is used to treat the pain in the right neck.
Categorization
The points include three groups i.e. 1) body pain points/external pain, 2) organ pain points/internal pain and 3) non-pain points. There are 9 points located on the head and neck, 11 on the upper limbs, 3 on the chest and abdomen, 4 on the back, and 11 on the lower limbs.
Upcoming Course of PHA
Past Courses of PHA
Related Articles
Zhang H. EXTRAORDINARY ACUPOINTS: ATLAS OF APPLICATIONS. Heyttu Academic Publishing, 2021.
Zhang H.Einführung in die Pingheng-Akupunktur („balance acupuncture“) als ergänzende Methode. Chinesische Medizin / Chinese Medicine, 2016. (in German)
Wang WY. “First regulating vitality” is Core of Acupuncture. Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion, 2009. (in Chinese)