There are many concepts of tonification. The most appropriate concept, according to my opinion, is the needling of the mother point of the channel that precedes the affected channel in the organ clock.
The reason for this is that the needling of an energetically weak channel brings out the danger of an additional weakness as acupuncture is essentially a form of sedation.
If we place our needles after an incoming tide, we will be more able to support the small amount of energy that is present without opening the channel while it is at its maximum.