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Acupuncture Nomenclature

The names of the meridians developed at a time when the anatomical knowledge was not well established yet. Extra meridians, whose functions were mapped out were given names that did not correspond to any known organ. For example the Triple Burner. Then meridians like the Small Intestine which does the sorting has the unlikely sibling of the Heart. But this does not effect this medical mode which has been used extensively for at least two millennia.

Metal

Lung

Large Intestine

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Earth

Spleen

Stomach

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Inner Fire

Heart

Small Intestine

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Water

Kidney

Bladder

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Outer Fire

Pericardium

Triple Burner

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Wood

Liver

Gall Bladder

You will notice that there are two types of Fire elements, the Inner Fire and the Outer Fire. Whereas the other elements are on their own. This leads to the fire element having four meridians associated with it rather than just two.

Energy Blocks

The elements pass Qi (energy) between each other through the entry-exit points of the meridians. This is where entry-exit blocks can occur which is a pathological state that can effect the flow of energy. This ultimately results in various symptoms of illness in a person. At the beginning of the formation of the block, little or no symptom shows up. But “pulse energy picture” will show up this block, allowing the practitioner to clear this. Other articles on this site list the types of blocks and where it occurs in the body. Further article also show how to keep blocks clear after the acupuncturist has removed them.