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This publication is the third of a total of six papers intended to name acupuncture points following the anatomic nomenclatures. In the first publication, acupuncture points in the head are named using terminal branches of the trigeminal nerve and the muscles of facial expression. In the second publication, acupuncture points in the neck are named using the cutaneous nerves of the cervical plexus and neuromuscular attachments formed by the spinal accessory nerve on the trapezius muscle. In this third publication, acupuncture points existing on the upper limbs are described following the terminal branches of the brachial plexus.

Typical spinal nerves have six cutaneous branches which reach to the skin of the body wall in the thorax and abdomen. Each of these six cutaneous branches correlates to an acupuncture point. This communication describes acupuncture points found in the thoracic and abdominal walls using anatomic nomenclature relating to cutaneous branches of the spinal nerves.

Acupuncture points in the neck region are basically distributed along the terminal branches of the cervical plexus. There are two components of the plexus, cutaneous and muscular. The cutaneous component of the cervical plexus consists of four major branches which are the lesser occipital, great auricular, transverse cervical, and supraclavicular nerves. Practically all of the acupuncture points in the neck are found along the routes of these cutaneous nerves. It is suggested that acupuncture points in this region be names according to the anatomical designation of these nerves.

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