The most requested acupuncture point ever is the Yintang acupoint. It is located in the middle of the forehead. The Yintang is an “extra point,” a type of acupoint that is not associated with any acupuncture channel. This Yintang is used for a few indications but it is widely sought after because it has the power to help calm shen. In Chinese medicine, Shen pertains to the spiritual aspect of a person. Its term has no equivalent in the English language. It basically refers to our emotional and spiritual being and to thought and consciousness. Shen can be calmed through several various points to treat conditions such as shock, pain, insomnia, depression, and anxiety.
Like most acupuncture points in the body, the Yintang can have more than one indication. It is useful for addressing local ailments such as frontal headaches like all acupuncture points. The nose can also be a beneficiary of this point in that it can help relieve sinus pain and nasal discharge and congestion. Acupuncturists use it a lot in their practice, especially for infections, sinus allergies, and stress.
The Yintang’s location corresponds to the location of the third eye. For Hindus and Buddhists, the third eye is a metaphor for being enlightened caused by the expansion of our consciousness. The Yintang is situated in the brow chakra, the sixth of seven main energy vortexes (chakras) in our bodies, the brow chakra relates to intuition, mental clarity, and inner guidance. The location of this chakra in Western medicine is of anatomical importance since it is the part of the body where light enters the skull to stimulate the pineal gland. In the evening as darkness envelops the sky, the pineal gland is activated to secrete the melatonin hormone, which makes us sleepy. As light gradually increases with the rising of the sun, the pineal gland ceases producing this hormone and we awake.
Ni Nan Gilbert is a board certified and licensed acupuncturist and the founder of Ni Nan Healing Art Center in Bellmore, NY.