Course: Meridians/energetics Date: 10/09/07 Class #: 3 Memorize bold/blue/underline on handout 3 major groups of points. 1. Ashi points Point Categories Ashi in Chinese means oh yes. Not related to channels. Wherever it is painful upon palpation = ashi point. Can be anywhere. Unnamed points, unrelated to channels. 2. Points on channels all have names, all are on named channels, have specific loc sand specific indications. 12 regular channels with points, extraordinary channels of Ren and Du also have named points. 361 total points that we will cover during Energetics 1-3. 3. Extra points All named, all have spec loc s and indications, but not belong to a specific channel. Yin Tang for instance, between the eyebrows. Note: Du channel runs through this point, but Yin Tang is not part of the Du channel! Indications of points Local Problems All points can treat problems in the local area. Example: SJ 17 is behind the ear even if you haven t studied it, you should know that you can use it for ear problems. P 6 can treat local problems for wrist/nerve pain. L 11 for tennis elbow, elbow pain. No exceptions to this rule! Problems along the pathways of the meridian All points on a meridian can treat problems along the path of the meridian. Example: P 6 can be used for heart problems such as palpations. Also, can treat spleen/stomach problems because the Pericardium channel runs through that too. Lung channel starts in trunk, goes to lung, throat, down arm to hand. Pick a lung point and you can treat breathing problems, throat problems, etc. Note: the more distal points of a channel have more indications (works better and wider) for disorders of the upper end of the channel. So points on the hand would be a better choice to treat something like breathing difficulties or sore throat than a point closer to the location of problem also safer. Also and conversely, you don t use LU 1 for pain in the hand! Du 20: can balance the yang qi (like hypertension as a matter of fact, once bp is normal, won t reduce it and if it s too low, it will raise it! Multi-directional. This is not true for herbs herbs only work one direction.). Bl-67: breach baby point. Within 2 weeks baby will turn. 29-38 weeks is when it works best before the baby drops to the pelvic area and isn t too big to turn easily. You don t acupuncture it, but moxa it. (Hey, buy extra insurance when you do this stuff. Cord-wrap around baby Get a doc referral, make sure the ultrasound is very recent!) SI-1: promotes lactation. Puncture and massage. Page 1 of 6
Special Indications most have special indications, non-related to their location or meridian location. Special Points Know the functions of the categories of the points for now. Don t need to memorize the point #s at this point. 5 Shu (next week after 1 st quiz) Yuan Source Location: extremeties This is where the original (Yuan Source) qi surfaces and lingers. Yuan source is related to the Kidney. There are 12 of these points. o For Yin Channels Good for tonification and regulation of respective Zang organs. LU 9 for Lung, Liv 3 for Liver, for instance. Can be either deficiency or excess/stagnation. Usage: Diagnosis Palpate. If tenderness, indicates problem of particular organ (the TCM definition of organ, not the western definition). Treatment One of the best for Zang organ problems. Often used clinically. Usually used with back shu points (also good for Zang organ problems) or combined with Luo connecting points. o For Yang channels Not used for related organs, but for meridians. These points are usually located just proximal to the shu-stream points, usually 4 th point from distal end. Negligible use in tonification. Dispels excess pathogenic factors and treats disorders along the pathway of their respective meridians/channels. LI 4 for Bells Palsy for instance. Luo Connecting Location: trunk (?) 15 altogether. 12 regular channels have one each, plus one on Ren, Du, and Great Spleen. These connecting points connect to their internally/externally paired channel. o Application of Luo connecting points Treat external and internal (paired) channels or Zangfu diseases. In other words, treats them as a pair. Lung 7, for example, is a luo-connecting point. Goes to the thenar eminence, connects also to the LI channel. Lu 7 would thus treat problems both on the LI and the LU channels: headache (Lu doesn t go here, but LI does), stiff neck. Treats disorders in region reached by the Luo connecting channel Treats psycho-emotional disorders. Due to the blood connection blood being the material basis for mental activity. ST-40 = depression, described as a phlegm blockage problem in TCM. Will also treat leg pain and phlegm problems too. Page 2 of 6
GB-37 treats headache/temporal or sciatica pain to lateral thigh. Also, eye problems. Methods of combining Yuan-source + Luo connecting points Also called host guest combination o Exterior/interior related channel disease (zang/fu). 1 st diseased channel = yuan source point. 2 nd disordered channel = luo-connecting point. Example: 1 st has a LU disorder, then an LI disorder. Choose Lu-9, LI-6 Or stressed out, then hypochondriac pain = liver qi stagnation followed by gallbladder problem. First, choose the original diseased organ (liver) and treat with Yuan source (Liv 3), then treat gallbladder with GB 37. o Only one organ (Zang/fu) diseased, Yuan source point of the disordered channel, Luo of the paired channel. Back Shu All points located on the back. Shu means transport. All are located on the Bladder channel. Back shu points transport qi between the zang and the point. Usually used for Zang or Fu organ problems. o Location At roughly the same anatomic location as the related zang or fu. Close to the opposite in location of their corresponding front-mu points. o Function Used to treat Zang and Fu organ problems, mainly Zang. Used primarily for deficiency/cold/yin problems. Used to treat problems of the five sense organs. Lu = nose, Heart = tongue, liver = eye, spleen = mouth, kidney = ear. Used for treating diseases of connective tissue: bone/ki, muscle/sp. o Notes Usually combined with Yuan source point to treat Zang organ s problems. They are tender when disharmony exists Front-Mu All points located on the front of the body. Mu means gather or collect. This is where the qi gathers/collects. 12 total. All located on chest or ab area. o Location: Usually the point is located very near to the related internal organ. o Function: Used for treating Zang-Fu organs, but more for Fu organs digestive and hollow organs, mostly. Usually combine with the lower He-sea point to treat the Fu-organs problems. (on legs) Hui Meeting Also called Influential points. o These are points which have the most direct effect on corresponding structure Zang Page 3 of 6
Sky Window Also called Window of Heaven Points. Most often used in Western countries, not so much in China. All but 2 are located around the neck. Pretty much nothing on this in classical literature. Deadman says it s in Yellow Emperor s book, but there is a group on the neck area to harmonize qi btwn head and body. Considered dangerous in China due to location others work as well or better with considerably less risk. o Uses: Disharmony between qi of body and head, with qi or blood rebelling upwards. Cough, wheeze, chest odisorders from rebellion of lung qi or vomiting from rebellion of stomach qi. Headache or dizziness and heat, redness or swelling of face or eyes. Goiter or scrofula or throat disorders Goiter is a thyroid problem. Hypothyroid usually. Scrofula is lymph node swelling around the throat. Sudden onset of disorders Sudden loss of voice, sudden dyspnea, etc. Psycho-emotional disorders head/body disharmony Disorders of sense organs ancient view was not enough qi sent up to the head. Xi-Cleft Points Xi in Chinese means cleft. Implies hole or opening. Where Qi and blood gather/plunge/circulate more deeply in those areas. o Indicated in treatment of acute conditions and pain whether on yin or yang channels, whether deficiency or excess. Usually along the channel location. ST-34, for instance, treats acute disorders of breast pain, breast abscess (mastitis which happens during breast feeding, occasionally during preggers). Also, acute epigastric pain. Bear in mind, that even though St-34 will treat stomach pain, it does not treat the root of the problem like ulcer pain it will relieve it, but won t fix it. You need to add points to fix the problem! o Yin Xi-Cleft points treat disorders of the blood. Example: bleeding, blood stasis, poor circulation. Lu 6 for 1) acute cough and wheeze (asthma--excellent for this! Puncture better than acupressure), swelling and pain of throat and loss of voice as well as 2) coughing blood. Better for acute than for chronic problems. Blood stasis, bleeding can be treated with Yin Xi-cleft points. Not so much for yang xi-cleft points. SP 8 uterine bleeding, heavy menstruation. Lower He-Sea Points Location Only on lower extremeties around or below the knee. Total of 6 of them, not necessarily located on own channels! Stomach = ST36 LI = ST 37 Page 4 of 6
SI = ST 39 SJ = BL 39 Bladder = BL 40 (same as He Sea point) GB = GB 34 (same as He Sea point) o Used for: For related Fu organ s diseases Not used for Zang organs problems or other stuff. Confluent points of the 8 extraordinary vessles o These are the underground cnx to the 12 regular channels from the extraordinary channels. o Used to activate respective extraordinary channel and effect specific symptoms in the body. Yang linking (Wei) problem = chills and fever symptoms for instance. There are no Yang Wei points, so you can use SJ5, which is the confluent point for the extraordinary vessel. 13 Ghost Points of Sun Simiao and Xu Qiu Fu Used to treat mental disorders such as mania, epilepsy, depression Sun Simiao thought these stemmed from the heart. At that time you don t treat heart, you dance around it a bit. Xu Qiu Fu said heart, brain, but also liver problems. You will thus see that the points are different between the 2 different doctors. See Slides 26-27 on Point Categories.pdf. The blue ones are common between the 2, the black ones vary. (Don t need to know the black/blue on these 2 slides) Case Studies Male 36yo. Stomach flu, nausea, vomitting, diarrhea. Wind cold invastion, disharmony of St and intestines. Points: Stomach: fu organ, choose front me or lower he-sea St 36 lower he-sea point St 40 luo connecting point Ren 12 front mu P 6 yin wei confluent point Large Intestine: St 39 lower he-sea Rn 4 front mu St 37 lower he sea St 24 front mu Female, 30 yo, asthma attack. When she came, was feeling sob, coughing with profuse phlegm. DX: Phlegm heat accumulate in lung. Points: Bear in mind that asthma often gets worse lying down on back do this sitting, maybe in a massage chair. LU 6 (xi cleft). Acute attack LU 9 (yuan source since it s a zang organ) Bl 13 (back shu point) Page 5 of 6
Ren 17 (hui-meeting point of qi asthma is a qi problem) ST 40 luo collecting point. Phlegm. LI 11 (he-sea point) Next week: Quiz! Pay attention to bold on handouts, anything special in notes. Page 6 of 6