Patterns of Acupuncture Practice and Acupoint Usage in Brazil: The Fortaleza Experience

Objective: This study is aimed at providing quantitative data on acupoint usage in Fortaleza, Brazil. Design: Medical records from 100 patients subjected to acupuncture treatments from January 2005 through June 2006 were randomly selected for study. Data collected included sex/age, visit numbers, acupoints used and point combination usage. Settings: The Meireles Acupuncture Outpatient Clinic is part of the Brazilian Health System (SUS) and offers free acupuncture therapy to people living in Fortaleza, the fifth largest city in Brazil. Results: Analysis of sex/age distribution showed that female patients were the majority (78%). Ages ranged from 15−88 years (mean, 52 years). The acupoint data were compiled to produce a histogram of the 30 most commonly used acupoints. These 30 points represented 68% of the total number of acupoints needled in Fortaleza. The same value was found in China Beijing Hospital of TCM. The total number of unique points used was 136 in different combinations, totaling 1109 acupoints (average usage, 11 points per patient). Taichong (67%) and Taixi (63%) were the most needled acupoints. Conclusion: The data collected demonstrate that Brazilian medical acupuncturists have a clear cut preference for some specific acupoints, as do their Chinese colleagues.