AcuGraph is filled with some really great little jewels that make my job easier as an acupuncturist. I thought that today I would share a few of my favorites.
#1: Click the split.
Did you realize that if you click on a channel in the graph, a picture comes up showing the distribution of the channel? I love this, and so do my patients. Whenever I see multiple splits with excess on one particular side of the body, I like to click on the graph and ask the patient if they are having pain along that channel. This is especially seen in the Small Intestine, Large Intestine and Triple Energizer for shoulder pain. The same is true for the Gallbladder channel when the patient has low back pain that is worse on one side than the other.
Here is a patient who came in for “stress.” As soon as I saw the graph, I immediately asked her if she had left shoulder pain and right hip pain. Her answer was an astounding YES! Then, of course, she asked how I could possibly know that without her telling me.
Here is her graph:
I then clicked on the Gallbladder and Small Intestine pathways to show her how the energy moved along those particular channels.
Small Intestine Channel Pathway:
Gallbladder Channel Pathway:
I love this feature in AcuGraph! Patients are amazed to see how the energy moves through the body. They love it, even more, when the graph shows them a picture of where their pain is located.
#2: You have night sweats?
I’m sure you have had this happen. You get needles in your patient and they say: “By the way, I am having ____________.” It could be insomnia, night sweats, a sore throat, etc. There are great point combinations you can add to your graphing treatment. If you’re like me, you had most of those point combinations memorized at some point along the way, but you tend to forget a lot of them over time.
Along the top of the program, under the reference section, there is an icon titled “Treatments.” The other day I needed to be reminded what the classic point combination is for night sweats. I clicked under references and was quickly reminded about Small Intestine 3 and Heart 6. With a quick click of the mouse, you have many point combinations available to you.
#3: What is my PIE score?
My patients love knowing their PIE score. You can always do a comparison of several graphs, click on PIE and then scroll through the graphs to show them the differences. But, did you know that if you click on the HISTORY icon at the bottom of each graph you can see the last twelve PIE scores all in one place?
This patient was seen over a 12 week period for extreme hot flashes (about 15 per day). Her doctor ran tests and told her that nothing was wrong. After 12 treatments she reported only having 1-2 hot flashes every other day. The graph history was consistent with her results.
What are your favorite components of AcuGraph? We want to know!
Kimberly Thompson, L.Ac.
Acupuncture Research Analyst
Miridia Technology Inc.
Do you use needles in your work? If so, where so you get them. How long to you put them in? Do you twist on them? Your article is amazing. As noted by Adrian the graphs have a compelling force on the patient’s belief strategy. Regards, Monte
Monte,
Yes I do use needles in my work. I was trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Herbology. I use an array of needling techniques, all of which depend on the case in which I am treating. I’m glad that you enjoyed the post.
Kimberly
Hi Kimberly, Thanks for sharing. I didn’t know that about the History to show all the graphs on one screen. Very cool. I haven’t made it through all my DVD training yet so I may still be coming to that.
I have a question slightly off this subject. I have both Acugraph and Auriculo PC. Noted is to handle splits you use SP21. That is not the most convenient point to get to always when you are treating people. I was wondering if there is a Master Luo point on the ear that could get the job done of SP21. I would also love to see in Auriculo PC a bundling of all the Luo Points to view on the ear for future improvements. Could you pass this on to Dr. Larsen. Thanks. It is nice getting your experiences with the software. It is always helpful.
Thanks Kimberly, it is like Christmas every day with Acugraph! Always something to make you smile and bring on an “ah Ha” moment.
I am a Shiatsu Therapist so I dont use needles but everything works just as well using Acupressure techniques.
My knowledge of TCM and 5 Element theory has really improved since purchasing Acugraph and I am always confident of giving my clients treatments based on good solid diagnosis.
best wishes
Tony
Thanks for sharing your experiences Tony! I was a massage therapist for 12 years before I became an acupuncturist and I have great appreciation for acupressure. Sometimes in my current acupuncture I resort back to my hands. Once your fingers become accustomed to “feeling” what is going on in the body, it is hard to let go of that. I’d love to hear about some of your success stories along the way. Feel free to e-mail me personally at kimberly@miridiatech.com.
Have a great day!
Kimberly
Great work and amazing diagnosis by acugraph. I am doing graph correction by five elemental principle as well as divergent principle, especially divergent principle working well for particular meridian correction, so kindly help me out more about divergent channel uses and efficiency.
Great question…
If you click on the divergent treatment within AcuGraph it will give you a list of points to treat. The points that are red with a plus sign are meant to be tonified because they are deficient. The points that are blue with a negative sign are meant to be sedated because they are excess. There are multiple ways to go about this. The most common treatment strategy is to use tonification and sedation needling techniques which you learned in training. Some practitioners used electric probes for treatment–red for positive and blue for negative. Others used gold and silver needles for tonification and sedation purposes. The choice is yours as to what technique you will use.
Best regards~
Kimberly