Acupuncturists don’t always insert needles along the meridians.  Triggering points are NOT the new innovation. Historically, there are at least 3 different types of points that acupuncturists use: (1) Meridian points(360 points), (2) Extrameridian points, (3) Triggering points.  Triggering points are obtained by palpating patient’s painful areas and observing patient’s response. These trigger points are called “ashi” points in Chinese. In the English translation, the Chinese “ashi” means “Ah yes!”  as in “Ah Yes, that’s the spot!”.  So - the so-called dry needling uses the same acupuncture needles, but insert into A LOT LESS points with A LOT LESS training (50 hrs vs 3000 hrs).