Researches on the specificity of acupoints need a contrast of non-acupoint.However

there have been no uniform standards for locating the non-acupoint in both human body and animals.In the present paper

the authors make a review about the methods for locating the non-acupoint in rats during acupuncture experiments in recent decade.Till now

four methods were frequently used

i.e.

1) selecting a spot beside the known acupoint at the same level

2) selecting the mid point between two meridian running courses

3) choosing a spot at the tail

and 4) choosing a spot below the costal region.The authors hold that of the 4 methods

the last one

i.e.

taking the spot below the costal region as the non-acupoint is probably the most reasonable approach

if it is far from the observed acupoint

and on the same or the adjacent spinal nerve segment.