NCCAOM Acupuncture key terms

The vital substance and activity that animates living bodies. Chinese medicine describes it as both matter and function: it moves, warms, transforms, holds, and protects. Health depends on its quantity and smooth flow.

A framework of paired, complementary qualities such as cold and heat, rest and activity, or interior and exterior. The two constantly transform into each other and must remain in relative balance for health.

Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water: a system of correspondences linking organs, seasons, emotions, colors, and sounds. Practitioners use it to explain organ relationships and to guide diagnosis and treatment strategy.

The internal organs of Chinese medicine. The yin zang, such as Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lung, and Kidney, store vital substances; the yang fu, such as Stomach, Gallbladder, and Bladder, receive and transmit.

The body's constitutional essence, stored in the Kidneys. Partly inherited and partly acquired from food, it governs growth, reproduction, and development, and declines naturally with age.

The spirit: the mental, emotional, and conscious aspect of a person, said to be housed in the Heart. It shows in alertness, clarity, emotional balance, and the brightness of the eyes.

The defensive aspect of qi that circulates on the body's surface outside the vessels. It warms the skin and muscles, controls sweating, and resists invasion by external pathogens.

Original qi, formed from congenital essence and completed by food qi. It emerges in the area between the Kidneys, travels via the San Jiao, and underpins all physiological activity and development.

Six external disease-causing factors: wind, cold, damp, heat, dryness, and summerheat. They invade from the environment, typically attack the body's surface first, and may penetrate more deeply if unresolved.

Joy, anger, worry, pensiveness, sadness, fear, and fright. In moderation they are normal; when intense or prolonged they are considered internal causes of disease affecting the related organs.

A diagnostic framework of four paired categories: yin or yang, interior or exterior, cold or heat, and deficiency or excess. Findings are summarized this way before a treatment plan is chosen.

The channel system that carries qi and blood through the body. Twelve main channels connect with the zang-fu organs, and their branches, the luo vessels, link paired channels and reach the surface.

A dense, nourishing substance derived from food qi and essence. It moistens tissues, houses the shen, and moves together with qi through the vessels; the Heart governs it and the Liver stores it.

The needling sensation of soreness, distension, heaviness, or numbness that signals the needle has engaged the qi. Practitioners may also feel a slight tug on the needle.

A proportional unit used to locate points, based on the patient's own body. One cun equals the width of the thumb's interphalangeal joint or a defined fraction of a body region.

Points on the back along the inner Bladder channel, one for each zang-fu organ, where the organ's qi is transported. They are used both to assess and to treat that organ.

Points on the chest or abdomen where each zang-fu organ's qi gathers. They often become tender in organ disease and are used diagnostically and therapeutically, frequently with the back shu points.

Points where the original qi surfaces on each channel's pathway. They are needled mainly to reinforce deficiency states and to support the primary organ, often paired with the luo connecting point.

Points where a channel's luo vessel branches off to link the paired yin and yang channels. They treat disorders along the branch pathway and imbalances between the internal-external organ pair.

Points where qi and blood collect deeply along a channel, usually tender in acute excess conditions. They are especially used for acute pain and for acute flare-ups of organ disorders.

The five transport points on each channel distal to the elbow or knee: jing-well, ying-spring, shu-stream, jing-river, and he-sea. They are selected according to the season and the nature of the imbalance.

The five shu points located near the elbow or knee, where channel qi flows deeper into the body. They are used for disorders of the corresponding fu organ and for conditions affecting the internal organs.

Points said to have a special influence over a tissue or substance, such as blood, qi, bone, marrow, tendon, or vessels. They are used when that tissue is affected.

Techniques that strengthen deficient qi or disperse excess. Methods include needle direction relative to channel flow, speed of insertion, retention time, and manipulation such as rotation or lifting and thrusting.

Routine measurements of pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, temperature, and oxygen saturation. Acupuncture practitioners use them to establish a baseline and to identify patients needing medical evaluation.

Symptoms or signs suggesting serious disease, such as unexplained weight loss, night pain, fever, or a new neurological deficit. They call for medical referral rather than continued acupuncture alone.

Use of medications that reduce blood clotting, such as warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants. It increases bleeding risk with needling, so smaller needles, fewer points, and firm prolonged pressure are advised.

Fainting from a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure. In acupuncture it may follow needling, hunger, or anxiety; management is to stop, remove needles, lie the patient flat, and raise the legs.

A chronic disorder of blood glucose regulation. It raises infection risk and can cause peripheral neuropathy, so needling requires careful skin preparation and moxibustion must be avoided on areas with reduced sensation.

Aseptic practices for acupuncture: hand hygiene, sterile single-use needles, a clean field, and immediate disposal of sharps. The aim is to prevent transmission of bloodborne pathogens between patients and practitioners.

Infection-control measures applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis. They include hand hygiene, gloves when body fluid contact is possible, and safe handling of contaminated equipment and linens.

A rigid, puncture-resistant, labeled container for used needles. Needles go in immediately after removal without recapping, and the container is replaced before reaching its fill line.

Accidental puncture with a used needle. The practitioner should wash the site, report the exposure per protocol, and follow testing or prophylaxis guidance for bloodborne pathogens.

Thermal injury caused by burning moxa. Risk is reduced by controlling the distance and duration of heat, protecting the skin, and avoiding moxa over areas with impaired sensation or circulation.

Points and regions usually avoided in pregnancy, including LI 4, SP 6, GB 21, and the lower abdomen and lumbosacral areas, because of concern about strong stimulation, cramping, or injury.

Air in the pleural space that causes the lung to collapse. It is a preventable needling risk at thin-chested points such as LU 1, BL 13, and GB 21, where depth and angle must be controlled.

A patient's voluntary agreement to treatment after being told its nature, expected benefits, risks, and alternatives. It should be documented and can be withdrawn at any time.

The activities a licensed practitioner may legally perform, defined by state statute and board regulations. Working outside it risks disciplinary action and malpractice liability.

A charting format with Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan sections. It records each visit consistently, supports clinical reasoning, and provides a defensible record of care.

A U.S. federal law protecting the privacy and security of health information. Practitioners must safeguard records, limit disclosures, and provide patients with notice of privacy practices.