%0 Journal Article
%T Consistent Classification of Both Autonomous Nervous Functions and Acupoint Characters: Replacing the Theory of Meridian Classification
%A Zi-Jian Cai
%J Open Access Library Journal
%V 12
%N 2
%P 1-19
%@ 2333-9721
%D 2025
%I Open Access Library
%R 10.4236/oalib.1112967
%X <p>
	<strong>Introduction</strong>: It is revealed by biomedical studies that the autonomous nervous system mediates most clinical effects of acupuncture/moxibustion. Whereas, it is advantageous for the classical meridian system to instruct acupuncture/moxibustion by classifying the various acupoints into related meridians. <strong>Purpose:</strong> It was aimed to replace the classical meridian system with the consistent classification of both autonomous nervous functions and acupoint characters. <strong>Methods:</strong> It was searched the relevant papers on autonomous nervous system and acupoints, then classified and summarized. <strong>Results and Discussions:</strong> It is classified the autonomous nervous functions into: a) Local sensory/vascular modulation, like pain, itch, local inflammation, acupuncture, etc.; b) Remote sensing coordination, including autonomous coordination to visual or acoustic attention, arousal, sleep induction and yawn, remote analgesia, and so on; c) Dynamic coordination, either contraction or stretch, including cardiovascular coordination to hand movement, and leg movement to change the intestine/urinary-bladder, consistent with the Chinese view on asymmetrical handedness advantageous in heart-arm coordination; d) Thoracic-abdominal-back coordination, including the sympathetic/parasympathetic regulation, with addition of enteric nervous system, cardiorenal interactions, gut blood-pressure interactions, etc.; e) Emotional coordination of sympathetic/parasympathetic system; f) Environmental coordination, including temperature regulation, day/night circadian coordination, etc. Correspondingly, with clinical supports and addition of anatomical location, it is consistently classified the characters of acupoints as: a) Anatomical location; b) Local sensory/vascular modulation; c) Remote sensing coordination; d) Dynamic coordination; e) Thorac-ic-abdominal-back coordination; f) Emotional coordination; g) Environmental coordination. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> It recommends Chinese medicine as joint using classification of both autonomous nervous functions and acupoint characters for diseases.
</p>
%K Pain
%K Acupuncture
%K Autonomic Nervous System
%K Attention
%K Muscle
%K Emotion
%U http://www.oalib.com/paper/6850527