The point, ST 45, resides on the lateral side of the second toe (see photo).
It’s name? “Hard Bargain”.
But just so you don’t get the wrong idea about this point from its name, here are some other names the point goes by: Strict Exchange, Bitter Exchange, Hard Payment, Evil’s Dissipation, and Sick Mouth. All of these titles perfectly encapsulates the entirety of this point. Think of it this way: You spend a night deliberately putting toxins into your body that weakens your liver, kills your brain cells, and generally pollutes the entire body. The next morning you think, “OMG. What was I thinking?……….” And you ask the Higher Power (but really you’re asking your Body), “Please forgive me…….Help meeeeeeeeee…….” Hard Bargain can offer you the absolution you seek, but generally it comes at a cost.
First of all, this point tends to REALLY hurt on a person with a hangover. That would be “Hard Payment” Number 1. Payment #2 may come from something in acupuncture called The Law of Cure. This basically means that with acupuncture, you sometimes will feel an increase to your symptoms first and then the symptoms get better. In this case, you’re head may temporarily pound more loudly. Your stomach may decide to purge a bit more. You may feel worse at first as the body better deals with the toxins. But recovery may also be quicker. It would be akin to choosing the short cut through the dreaded Fire Swamp, instead of the long way around the forest. It may be a more intense experience, but it may pass more quickly. Thus, the “Bitter Exchange”.
All that being said, let me put in my disclaimer that everyone is different. The point may hurt and it may not. You may rebound in a couple hours, or a couple days. Everything depends on everything. You may do better with some aspirin, water, pink bismuth, and sleep. Still, this point tends to help. It may create some short-term discomfort, but it wouldn’t be known for thousands of years as The Hangover Point if it was all an elaborate canard. That’s my belief, anyway.