Traditional acupuncture is based mainly on: perpendicular puncture, punctual in the correct location of the points (acupoints), the channels and energy direction; due to acupuntural channels generally have a vertical distribution from top to bottom and from bottom to top, could be called vertical acupuncture (VA). However, there is a very extensive network of collaterals that is distributed more horizontally, less considered and managed by the acupuncturist. Since hundreds of years ago, different therapeutic procedures have been used that have an action on collaterals, which we call horizontal acupuncture (HA). Unlike VA, HA it does not depend on acupoints, it does not depend on the acupunctural sensation (得 气 De Qi), depends more on the blood, its effect is regional, and has therapeutic impact on some pathologies in which the VA has little therapeutic effect. The main action HA has is activating blood and resolving stasis and relax tendons. Since HA impacts on collaterals, it is proposed that the “collateral phenomenon” is related to the following elements: Capillaries, small Arterioles, Fascias, tissue (E)stroma and extracellular Matrix, forming the mnemonic acronym CAFE-M. This helps explain how certain therapeutic procedures such as plotoacupuncture (浮 针 Fu Zhen), cupping with bloodletting (刺 络 拔罐 Ci Luo Ba Guan), 刮痧 (Guasha) and others, have a good therapeutic effect on pathologies related to the “collateral phenomenon” CAFE-M.