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Design by Matley
There is frequently a relationship between a tender nodule or area on the one hand and a symptom or disease on the other and this relationship is an essential feature of acupuncture. In a certain variety of headache a patient may notice a tender nodule or a tender area at the back of the neck, possibly where the neck joins the back of the skull. If this tender area is pressed hard with a finger, the headache may be partially alleviated. Other patients may have a tender nodule or area at the base or side of the neck or across the shoulder. Hard pressure on these areas may alleviate the headache in certain cases.
Often the most important tender areas are situated at the opposite end of the body to the site of the symptoms of the disease. For example, a patient with headaches may have a tender area in the feet. The stimulus of the needle prick in the feet is transmitted to the head via the nervous system. Experimentally, this has been demonstrated when all the tissues of the leg, except for the appropriate nerve have been cut through but needling the foot still produced the desired effect. If the nerves of the leg are cut, needling the foot has no effect.
The ancient Chinese spoke of "acupuncture points" and "meridians". The acupuncture points might be compared to the tender nodules or areas mentioned and the meridians might be likened to nerves, though these comparisons are really incorrect.