There are a lot of acupuncture points on the body...a LOT. On the "regular" meridians alone, there are 347 points. This doesn't include "extra" points that we often use, ear points (on the ear alone there are over 100 points), or the hundreds of points whose locations have been modified throughout the centuries by masters of acupuncture. Of all these points, there are some with functions that are..well, a little odd. Some of these have functions of curing serious diseases, such as malaria, rabies, or pneumonia. Now, in this day and age, I would hope that someone suffering from rabies would know better than to hope an acupuncture session would take care of the problem!
Ren 1 is a point used for drowning, and a consistent source of lame puns from nerdy acupuncturists. This point is on the perineum, and it is an acupuncture point that most people would NOT want needled in normal circumstances, much less after being washed up on a shore. However, I can imagine having someone put a needle there might be enough to shock ANYONE back to life!
GV26 is on the philtrum, which is midway between your nose and upper lip. This point is used for acute back sprain, and is also a point to bring someone back to consciousness. I have not seen this point used very often...but used even less often is the point above it, GV25. GV25 is on the tip of the nose, and is used for sobering up drunks.
GB44, a point on the lateral side of the fourth toe, is often used for excessive dreaming. You know when you dream the same dream over and over about doing repetitive acts, and then wake up feeling like you never actually went to bed? This point is for you.
LV5 is indicated for herpes, but Valtrex would probably be a better option in that situation.
HT1 is in the center of the armpit. It can be used for excessive sweating, but wouldn't deodorant be easier? I think so. I actually have had this point needled with a 3 inch needle, not because I am sweaty, but because I was being used as a guinea pig. The sensations were bizarre. It wasn't painful, and I didn't feel the needle itself, but the qi sensation was quite strong. At one point it felt like someone had dipped their fingers in Vicks and then ran three of the fingers down my arm, all the way down to my hand.
In summation, sometimes you just have to decide: is this something that I should visit my acupuncturist for? Back pain? Come see me. Malaria? Please don't. If you have a disease that might lead to a 6 month quarantine, the acupuncture clinic is not the place for you. And if you need to sober up, you are probably better off doing it in your bed...although you can set up an appointment with me the next day to get that hangover taken care of!