Table 2 Step 3: Additional relevant point possibilities

Severe Yang deficiency^a

GV 4 (ming men)^b and GV 14 (da zhui) or GV 4 and TB 4 (yang chi)

Anxiety + pressure pain at PC 8 (lao gong) or SP 2 (da du) – pericardium or spleen metal and water points^c,d

PC 3 (qu ze) and 5 (jian shu) or SP 5 (shang qiu) and 9 (yin ling quan)

Anxiety + pressure pain at CV 12 (zhong wan) – points of the heart shu area^d

T5/HJJ/BL 15 (xin shu)/BL 44 (shen tang)/BL 49 (yi she)

Anxiety + pressure pain at CV 17 (dan zhong)^d

GB 13 (ben shen)

Depression/mental disturbance – ‘blood stagnation in the head’^c

First – SP 9 (yu ling quan) second – PC 8 or PC 6 or PC 3 + 5

Depression due to adrenal exhaustion^c,d

KD 6 and lateral to LU 5 (chi ze) or KD 6 and KD 27 (shu fu)

Depression and sphenoid bone disturbance – pressure pain at GB 4 (han yan)/5 (xuan lu)/6 (xuan li)^d

Needle most tender

Depression and sphenoid bone disturbance – pressure pain TB 17 (yi feng) and TMJ^c

KD 9 (zhu bin) and 27 and above TB 9 (si du) side of pain

Depression and pituitary disturbance^c

SI 3, SI 13 (qu yuan), BL 2 (zan zhu) and 1 cun above BL 10 (tian zhu)

Melancholic depression^d – if positive for pressure pain/pulsation at CV 9 (shui fen)^d

ST 24 (hua rou men) RHS, LU 9 (tai yuan)

Depression – LR 2 (xing jian) pressure pain – water and metal points^c

LR 4 (zhong feng) and 8 (qu quan)

Depression – pressure pain LR organ region and LR 14 (qi men)^c

LHS – lateral to LU 5 (chi ze), LR 4 and LR 14 RHS

Chronic depression and weakened immune system – pressure pain R ST 26 (wai ling)/27 (da ju ) and TB 16 (tian you)^c

Tender point around LI 10 (shou san li)/11 (qu chi)

Subclinical underactive thyroid gland^c

Eustachian, TB 4, KD 9/10 (yin gu), BL 43 (gao huang shu), HJJ C6/7

Inflammation – TCM meridian heat signs – metal and water points to extinguish^e

Meridian-dependent

Mental health relevant points – selected by point function and palpation tenderness

See Table 3 for options