Acupoints

Acupoints are connection points for the channels to pass Qi between. The acupoints are an important way for the body to open itself to the universe. Practicing Qi Gong, Tai Ji Quan, Kung Fu or meditation keeps the acupoints open. If the body’s acupoints are closed, it is easier for the body to become ill. When the acupoints open, illnesses (i.e. pathogens) have an opportunity to leave, and the body has the time to heal itself. Acupuncture and tui-na use this medical process of opening these points to heal the body.

There are upward of almost 800 acupoints on the human body. Most of them are on channels, but some are called extra acupoints because they do not correlate to a specific channel. These points aid in the connection of qi flow in the body.

Acupoints are also a kind of vortex of where qi can either enter or exit the body. When a person’s sensitivity to qi is heightened, he or she can feel qi circling above the acupoint on the tip of the finger. People can also find them where muscles connect to each other and to tendons and ligaments.

Dim Mak (Touch of Death)

In martial arts, there is a high level of understanding the qi flow and the body called Dian Xue or Dian Mai in Mandarin Chinese and Dim Mak in Cantonese and is known as such in the west. It is the pressure point fighting martial artist use to have an advantage over basic punches and kicks. Some people like to sensationalize it and call it the “the secret touch of death”. This is a bad translation because it only means pressure point fighting.  Only a few points will kill, and mostly it takes a while for death to happen.

Highly evolved martial artists and qi gong practitioners will actually unwittingly start to understand it by practicing with qi. It is secret because you do not want the ‘bad guys’ to know it, just like we don’t want the ‘bad guys’ to have the knowledge of nuclear technology because of the potential devastating threat. Some points, if done correctly, can indeed kill a person, though, only a few points can cause an instant death. Most of the points can take up to a month or two to work. Acupressure can be used for healing or if used with the right amount of force, it can be used for harm and even death. Therefore people should not use it unless absolutely necessary.