Meridian therapy is a form of treatment that was developed in postwar Japan by systematically compiling and editing the techniques of various schools scattered throughout Japan and has since been practiced in accordance with the constitution and culture of the Japanese people.
The main classics that form the basis of this treatment are the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine (Su-Wen and Ling-Shu) and the Nan-jing. The main characteristics of this treatment are its emphasis on pulse diagnosis and the use of thin needles to complete the treatment with shallow stabbing.
In particular, meridian therapy emphasizes not only the properties of the acupoints but also the flow of the meridians, so the back transport points are sometimes used not only to consider the properties of the acupoints but also to circulate qi and blood throughout the body.
In this study, based on the background of the literature, we present the results of our evaluation of the use of back transport points in clinical practice and the results obtained from the perspective of sleep.
In classical medicine, there are 38 descriptions related to sleep in the Su-wen and 34 in the Ling-Shu, indicating its high importance. Of these, the most important are the defense qi, Eyes, Bloods, and Yin-Yang heel vessels. Since all of these are strongly related to stimulation of the back transport points, this study reports on the effects of stimulation of the back transport points on sleep.
