Heart of Hearts Channel

"The Heart is the root of life, it is reflected in the blood vessels and it's Qi communicates with the tongue".

-Ling Shu, circa 500BC.

Another Yin organ, this is a short meridian with only 9 points.  It is paired with the Small Intestine (who the heck figured that out?) and both organs element is Fire.  It flows from the chest to fingers, where Si flows from fingers to face.  It starts in the center of the armpit, and runs down the arm on the anterior medial aspect to the elbow, where it continues towards the base of the wrist and out to the lateral edge of the base of the little finger's nail bed.  This runs on the pathway that cardiac pain is reported on.  Funny how these things line up...

It communicates with the Small Intestine with the Yuan source point at H7 (ShenMen) and Luo Connecting point, Tongli (H5).

It is worth noting that the Heart and Pericardium organs with their channels form one functional unit, and that the brain, heart and pericardium are closely related.  So if you want to treat the brain, treat the heart or pericardium channels.

Clinically, it's used for

• Diseases along the channel
• Heart diseases
• Mental disorders (Heart is related to the Brain)
• Tremors, chorea-athetosis (involuntary movements, and in the case of athetosis, a continuous stream of slow, involuntary movements, such as abnormal writhing of the hands) and parkinsonism.
• Speech disorders (as the Heart connects to the tongue)
• Autonomic disturbances, such as increased sweating

Commonly used points

H3, Midway between the medial end of the elbow crease and medial epicondyle of the humerus when the elbow is fully flexed.  Good for anything elbow related, like tennis or golfer's elbow, tremors of the forearm, numbness in the upper limb, angina pectoris and chorea, athetosis and Parkinson's disease.

H5  Tongli, Luo Connecting point.  1 cun proximal to H7 on the radial side of the tendon of the flexor carpi ulnaris.  Good for Aphasia (total speech impairment), dyspasia (partial speech impairment), hoarse voice and stammering

H6 Yinxi, Xi-Cleft point.  0.5 cun proximal to H7, good for angina pectoris, palpitation and excessive sweating.  As with all Xi-Cleft points, this is excellent for treating acute disorders of the heart, maniac behavior, severe depression, chest pains and palpitations.

H7 Shenmen  Yuan-Source point, important Tranquilizer point.  Known as "God's Door".  Indicated for Palpitation, anxiety, hysteria, insomnia, mental disorders and arrhythmia of the heart.  The other important tranquilizer points are Du20 and P6.  Ear Shen Men has similar results.  I often use Ub62 (another "Shen" point) to assist in relaxing patients.

H8  Shaofu.  Good for anything palm, arthritis of the hand and carpal joints, Duputryen's contracture (trigger finger)

H9  Shaochung, Jing well.  .1 cun proximal to the radial corner of the nail of the little finger.  Excellent for pain in the chest, apoplexy (bleeding during a cerbrovascular event), palpitation and other acute emergencies.  Drawing a drop of blood from H9 is an ideal treatment for migraine.

Review of points, names and TCM functions:

H1  Jiquan
H2 Qingling
H3 Shaohai - water point
H4 Lingdao - metal point
H5 Tongli, Luo-connecting point
H6 Yinxi, Xi-Cleft point
H7 Shenmen, Yuan source point, Earth point
H8 Shaofu, Fire point
H9 Shaochong  Jing well, wood point.

The deep circulation of the heart meridian starts in the Organ Heart and Pericardium.  It has an internal connection to the small intestine and all other Zang-Fu organs.  A deep connection runs upwards along the esophagus to connect with the tongue and the brain (via the eyes).  The energy flows into the superficial  channel from inside the armpit.

Heart Syndromes

Channel Disorders, Pain along the medial aspect of the upper limb, night sweating, dryness of the throat

Organ Disorders:  5 main categories:

1. Insufficent Qi of the Heart:  This is usually caused by asthenia (weakness) after a prolonged illness.  Symptoms are palpitations, dysnopea, profuse sweating, mental confusion and thready pulse
2. Deficient of Yin of the Heart:  This can result from prolonged febrile illness or mental worry.  Manifests as insomnia, poor memory and dream-disturbed sleep
3. Stagnation of blood in the Heart:  Stagnation of Qi and blood occurs when the heart is too weak to circulate the blood.  Symptoms are of cardiac failure.
4. Hyperactivity of the Fire of the Heart:  This syndrome is due to anxiety.  The symptoms include insomnia, fever with red tongue, bitter taste and flushed face
5. Derangement of the Mind:  This syndrome is due to depression of the qi by high fever, coma and delerium.  Severe mental symptoms may result.

It's interesting to note that I had several patients in this week with several of these conditions.  In particular, a young lady was in last night with extreme anxiety, unable to even decide which ice cream to by for fear of picking a flavor that her husband doesn't enjoy enough.  She had Hyperactivity of Fire for sure.  Red face, dry complexion but flushed, and insomnia in spades.

Another fellow was in yesterday on a gift certificate, and he had trembling of the upper limbs, and was taking the longest list of medications I've seen in a long time.  His heart qi was deficient. 

That's the scoop on the heart meridian.  In practice, I am a big fan of H7, and rarely use the other heart points.  Although, I've used H3 on occasion to help with tennis elbow that didn't respond to Li11.  Li11 is my preferred point for tennis elbow.

Well, that's the scoop on the heart meridian!  On to it's paired organ, the Small Intestine!

El Spleen Channel

This should be a short one.  While a useful meridian, there aren't too many useful points on it, but the ones that are useful are REALLY useful, and I use several of them all of the time.

This is a Yin polarity meridian and organ, it's got 21 points.  It starts on the medial side of the toe at the corner of the nail bed, travels up the medial side of the leg and into the front of the abdomen to end on the side of the chest at the mid-axillary line.

It connects with the St channel at the Yuan Source point, Sp3, and it's Luo connecting point is Sp4.  It is interesting to note that there is a second Luo connecting point at Sp21, which is considered to have influence over all other Luo connecting points on the body.

Clinical uses of the Spleen meridian include:

• Diseases along the channel, such as genital disorders
• Disorders of the spleen, pancreas and digestive disorders
• Metabolic disorders and immune mechanism disorders
• Skin disorders
• Edema and ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdomen)
• Perineal, external genital and pelvic disorders
• Disorders of the soft tissues (muscles and tendons) and of the lips and mouth.

There are only a few commonly used points on the Spleen meridian, and all but one are on the leg.

Sp4 Gongsun, Luo Connecting point.  This is good for acute diarrhea.

Sp6 Sanyinjiao, One of the six important distal points, general tonification point, immune enhancing point.  This point is indicated for all gastro-intestinal disorders, genito-urinary disorders, lower limb disorders, muscle disorders, skin disorders, mouth disorders.  Whew, that covers a LOT of ground.

I primarily use Sp6 for its immune enhancing and general tonification abilities.  It's doubly useful in this way, but also consider that most of the population has digestive disorders from improper food, this helps with everything digestive as well.

All three Yin channels of the leg meet at this point and can therefore be used in Liver, Spleen and Kidney disorders.

The other General Tonification points are St36, Sp6 and Ren 6.  All 6's.  Wonder why?  Just one of those things...

Sp9, Yinlingquan.  Specific for edema and ascites.

Sp10 Xuehai, "Sea of Blood".  Located in a line just 2 cun up from the medial boarder of the patella, this point is useful for urticaria, allergies and skin disorders, plus dysmenorrhoea, functional uterine bleeding and irregular menstruation.

I find this point particularly useful for allergies, and it's one of my favorite points to use.  Most of us are sensitive to our environments to some degree or another, and if allergies are present, this point can help with many symptoms.

This is one of the "acupuncture party trick" points, including St38 for shoulder problems.  Let's say someone is allergic to cats and they are at your party.  If you press on this point, within 15-20 seconds...

off to work, to be continued...

Whew...  Interjecting a few hours of clinic time from my last few words...

So much for a few hours...  It's Friday morning!  I started this one on Thursday morning!

So, back to the lesson, 15-20 seconds later, the eyes will stop blinking from the cat dander, redness and itchiness will subside and it will be like you were never allergic to cats at all.

At least, for the next 10 minutes or so.  When I'm at a party with cats in the house, I have to use this point several times throughout the evening to keep my eyes at an even keel.

Moxibustion at this point is particularly helpful for extrinsic allergies.  Probably why finger pressure works so well.

Sp15, Daheng.  This is 2 cun lateral to St25, level with the belly buttonous.  This is a popular point at my clinic, as it's useful for anything abdomen, and serves as an excellent local point for disorders like constipation, diarrhea, intestinal paralysis, dyspepsia (upset stomach) and abdominal distension.

Here's names and points of interest on the channel.

Sp1  Yinbai  Wood Point
Sp2 Dadu  Fire point
Sp3 Taibai  Yuan source point, Earth point
Sp4  Gongsun  First (minor) Luo connecting point
Sp5 Shangqiu  Metal Point
Sp6 Sanyinjiao  Tonification point, one of the 6 important distal points, immune enhancing and just plain cool point
Sp7  Lougu
Sp 8  Xi-cleft point
Sp9 Yinlingquan  Water point (good for edema)
Sp10 Xuehai (sea of blood) anti allergic and antipruritic/antihistamine  point
Sp11 Jimen
Sp12 Chongmen
Sp13 Fushe
Sp14  Fujie
Sp15 Daheng
Sp16 Fuai
Sp17 Shidou
Sp18 Tianxi
Sp19 Xiongxiang
Sp20 Zhourong
Sp21 Dabao Second Luo connecting point, Major Luo point.

In summary:  The spleen channel can be used to treat

1. Disorders along the channel
2. Digestive disorders
3. Chronic infections and allergies
4. disorders of muscles and other soft tissues, including edema and ascitis
5. disorders of the lips and mouth cavity
6. genito-urinary disorders
7. General tonification.

Here's how the energy circulates:  It's deep connection starts at the end of the channel (Sp21) and runs upwards in the anterior abdominal wall.  In the abdomen, it connects with its organ and coupled organ, stomach.  From the stomach it runs upwards internally along the esophagus to enter the root of the tongue and spreads on the tongue's lower surface of the mouth cavity.

An additional internal branch communicates with the heart, and through the heart's channel, to all the soft tissues.

Syndromes of the Spleen:

A.  The Spleen Channel:  Belching, nausea, vomiting, pain at the root of the tongue.

B.  The Organ Spleen:  There are two main disorders of the spleen as follows:

1. Weakness of the qi of the spleen.  This can be caused by irregular food intake or excessive mental strain.  Poor appetite causes the qi of the spleen to be weak.  Anorexia and other symptoms of malnutrition are seen.  Pale tongue, with thready pulse.
2. Invasion of the Spleen by Cold and Damp.  This is caused by overeating raw chilled food.  Poor appetite, loose stools with a white, sticky tongue and thready pulse.

And there you have it!

The "Do Not Disturb" Sticky

I couldn't leave today without posting something about one of my patients today. 

Among other things, this particular patient reported...  uhh...  how do I say this? 

She reported a tight...  uhh...  Well, you get the picture.  Too tight.

So she asked if there were any acupuncture points for this!  Believe it or not, there actually is a point for this!  Rest assured, I will never, ever EVER needle this point on anyone.  In fact, my master had a funny story about this point when we learned about it.

Here's his story:  My master used to teach at McMaster University Hospital in Hamilton, and once in a while, Chinese trained acupuncturists would come to him for "validation" because Canada doesn't accept foreign trained anyone.  So, this one time, an older Chinese lady came to my master and said:  (Add your own Chinese accent here):  "Ah, master, this patient has prolapse of the uterus.  I know what needles to use, so I start now".  So, imagine the patient, young 18 year old girl up in the stirrups (she'd just had an internal exam) and this lady is busy placing needles in the legs and arms, and then... 

From across the room, my master sees her about to needle Ren 1!  It's one of those, slow motion moments!  "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" as he races across the room to catch her arm before it's too late!

Here's a link to Ren 1, in case you are brave enough... Ren 1, only for the brave! 

At my office, I have several large posters of acupuncture points, and on this particular diagram, I have a yellow post-it note labeled: "Do Not Disturb!".

Now you know why!

So anyway, I told the patient that while there is a good point for this, I'll never use it, so it's up to her to self-stimulate.  So I taught her how to do it and instructed her to do it first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. 

My training says that it will work.  It will be interested to hear if it actually does work!

Stomach Channel

'Liquid and solid enter the Stomach.  The five Zang and six Fu organs are replentished with Qi from the stomach'

-- Ling Shu, circa 500BC.

Boy, I don't know about you, but that sure clears things up for me!

The Stomach Meridian, or St, is Yang in polarity (being hollow), has 45 points starting just below the eye, describes a U on the face running along the jaw line and then up into the temple, then running down the chest  in line with the nipples and then down the lateral aspect of the leg and terminating on the second toe.  It connects with the Spleen channel with it's Yuan source point being St42, and Luo connecting point at St40.

Clinically it is used for:

• Disorders of the stomach, spleen and other abdominal organs
• Disorders along the channel (in the face), such as trigeminal neuralgia, toothache, facial paralysis
• Any chest or breast disorders
• abdomen and gastro-intestinal disorders, menstrual disorders
• Lower limb disorders, such as paralysis of the lower limbs

Commonly used points are:

• On the face: St1 to 8
• On the chest, St17 is prohibited at all times with all therapies (it's the nipple, don't cha know?)
• St18
• Leg: St31, 32, 34 to 41, St43 and St44.

And, here we go with the common points and what they are good for.

St1, Chengchi.  This is directly below the eyeball in line with the iris.  This is an insanely dangerous point (along with all points around the orbits of the eye), but if used correctly can cure some forms of blindness.  It is indicated for disorders of the eyelids.

St2, Szupai.  This is 0.7 cun below St1 in the infraorbital foramen.  I really, REALLY remember this point from class.  Were were in our 3rd day of needling, and we were practicing this point along with many other facial points on each other.  My partner for this particular point was rather tentative, but too strong for his own good!  He liked to measure where the point was several times before actually picking up his needle.  Then, he'd remeasure 3 or 4 more times before bringing the needle to bear.  Then, he inserted the needle, but too deeply and pinned the nerve that runs out of the foramen right onto the bone.  Oh holy cow, the stars were brightly shining!!!  Egads that hurt!  I couldn't give or take needles for the next hour of class while I recovered from the shock!

Meanwhile, this point is indicated for any eye disease, facial paralysis, trigeminal neuralgia.

St3 Chuliao, good for facial paralysis trigeminal neuralgia, rhinitis and tooth aches

St4 Dicang, just lateral of the corners of the mouth.  This one is good for facial paralysis, trigeminal neuralgia, excessive salivation, cheilosis (painful cracking of the corners of the lips, also due to shortage of riboflavin, or Vitamin B2), speech difficulties, mutism, disorders of the upper teeth, anesthesia for extraction of the upper teeth.  As an aside, I just told my wife that I'd offer my services to anyone who wants to try acupuncture anesthesia to anyone in her dental clinic!

I wonder if anyone will say "yes!"

Not likely...

But it would be fun!  I am trained, after all...

St5 Daying, good for facial paralysis, trigeminal neuralgia, toothache, parotitis (inflammation of the main saliva glands), swelling of the cheek and trismus (inability to open the mouth)

St6 Jiache.  Motor Point, excellent for facial paralysis, trigeminal neuralgia, toothache, parotitis, spasm of the masseter muscle and trismus

St7 Xianguan, good for facial paralysis, trigeminal neuralgia, toothache and arthritis of the mandibular joint

St8 Touwei.  This is one of my favorite points as it can melt a headache or migraine in minutes.  Indicated for migraine, ophthalmoplegia (paralysis or weakness of the eye positioning muscles) and increased lacrimation


St17 Ruzhong.  Remember this one boys, as it's the nipple.  So the next time you want to impress your date, let her know that you'd like to work directly on her Ruzhongs...  Oh, did I mention this point is prohibited?  It hasn't got any clinical value, but it can improve the quality of your (ahem).

St18 On the nipple line, at the 5th intercostal space.  While good for mastitis, deficient lactation, chest pain, cough, dyspnoea (difficulty breathing or catching the breath), angina pectoris (chest pain due to lack of blood going to the heart), this, like all points on the chest and back not protected by bone, is a dangerous point.  Any dangerous point should be needled with extreme caution, if at all.  Furthermore, no stimulation is ever applied on a dangerous point, unless you enjoy lawsuits.

St21 Liangmen.  4 cun vertically above St25 and 2 cun lateral to Ren 12, this is good for acute and chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, nausea and vomiting.  This point is especially dangerous on the right side as you can pierce a distended gall bladder.  So be bloody careful!

St25 Tienshu.  Alarm point for the Large Intestine.  Like all alarm points, this is a point that gets sore to palpation if the corresponding organ is messed up.  This one is indicated for acute and chronic gastro-enteritis, diarrhea, constipation, acute appendicitis, intestinal paralysis, paralysis of the muscles of the abdominal wall.

St29 Guilai.  This is at the meeting point of the vertical line from the anterior superior iliac spine and the horizontal line from the lower boarder of the pubic symphysis.  It's indicated for hemiplegia (weakness on one side of the body), osteoarthritis of the hip and numbness in the lower limbs.  If used for hemiplegia, use it together with Gb34, the influential point for muscles and tendons along with points in the upper limbs on the large intestine channel.

St32 Femur Futu.  This is 6 cun above the supero lateral point of the patella.  It is a motor point, as well as being good for wasting of the muscles and paralysis of the lower limbs and weakness of the quadriceps.

St34 Liangqiu, Xi Cleft Point.

Oh dear, it appears to be bed time...  Well, off I go!

Back to work...

As such, St34 can be used for acute gastro-intestinal disorders, and problems with the knee.

St35 Dubi  Local point

St36 Zusanli.  This has lots going for it.  It's one of the 6 important distal points, and it's a general tonification point (the others are Sp6 and Ren 6).  It's also a homeostatic point.  It's indicated for anything abdomen, such as gastritis, nausea, vomiting, enteritis (swelling of the small intestine, usually from bad food), diarrhea, obesity(!) (it helps limit the appetite), appendicitis, constipation, and any difficulty of the lower limbs. 

I use this point in almost every treatment, as it is so effective for so many things.  Primarily, patients benefit from the physiological improvements on homeostasis and tonification.  It is worth restating at this particular point, that the ultimate goal of acupuncture is to improve the flow of energy through the body, and when in doubt, this point can get plenty of energy moving, and sometimes, small and even large blockages can be cleared with just this point!

This point is also useful as an analgesic for the lower limbs, and for abdominal surgery.

St37 Shangjuxu, Lower He-Sea point of the Large Intestine.  Located 3 cun south of St36, this is excellent for acute appendicitis, disorders of the lower limbs and large intestinal disorders.

Note:  While St37 is good for appendicitis, the best point is Ex33, Lanwei.  It is also on the stomach channel, but only 2 cun south of St36.  It is also an alarm point, and becomes tender when the vermiform appendix is diseased.

St38.  Tiaokou  5 Cun south of St36, this point is good for one thing and one thing only:  Frozen Shoulder!  Ideally, the person is standing while this point is strongly stimulated while the person rolls the shoulder joint around.  Major improvements are seen in up to 75% of cases on the very first treatment!

St39 Xiajuxu, Lower He-Sea point for Small Intestine.  6 cun south of St36.  It's good for lower limb disorders and small intestine disorders.

St40 Fenglung, Luo Connecting point. 1 cun lateral to St38.  Good for cough, excessive sputum, epilepsy.  Here's an interesting fact:  excessive sputum and epilepsy are related in Chinese medicine!

St41 Jiexi, On the front of the ankle, between the two extensors and between the two tips of the malleoli.  This is great for ankle and soft tissue problems of the area, paralysis of the leg, foot drop (inability to raise the foot and toes), hemiplegia, varicose veins, and ulcers of the ankle area

St43 Xiangu.  Strong analgesic of the leg for surgery and lower limb, also excellent for brain surgery!  Good for local or facial edema.

St44 Neiting.  Distal point for legs, back and head.  Good distal point for toothache and excellent for pain relief in the lower legs, arthritis in joints of the foot.  Also good for abdominal pain. 

This is the best analgesic for any pain in the leg.  It is also one of the Bafing (Ex36) points.

Here's the list of all the special points on the St meridian:

St1, notable because it's dangerous
St17, forbidden point (what is this kids?  Oh yes, the nipples!)
St21, dangerous on the right side as it is situated directly over the gall bladder.  It's not good if you pop one of those...
St25, Alarm point for Large Intestine
St29, while good for lower abdominal disorders, the lower Ren channel points are preferred
St32, Motor point
St34 Xi-Cleft point
St36, Earth Point, strong tonification point, distal for entire abdomen
St37 Lower He-Sea point for Large Intestine
St38 Distal point for shoulder disorders
St39 Lower He-Sea point for Small Intestine
St40 Luo Connecting Point, distal for chest problems
St41 Fire point
St42 Yuan source point
St43 Wood point, good analgesic point, distal for face
St44 Water point, Strong analgesic point, distal for head

Energy Circulation for the Stomach

The stomach channel originates it's deep course at the supraclavicular fossa and decends in to the abdominal cavity to the stomach and the spleen.  This deep part then runs down and rejoins the superficial channel in the lower abdomen.

Syndromes of the Stomach

A:  Along the channel, mental disturbances, deviation of the eyes and mouth, sore throat, pain in the chest and abdomen, pain and paralysis in the anterior aspect of the lower limb and dorsum of the foot.

B:  The Organ Stomach:  3 main clinical manifestations

1. Retention of  fluid in the Stomach:  This is from overeating.  Manifests as distention, pain in the epigastric region, belching, regurgitation and sometimes vomiting.  The tongue will be thick and sticky.
2. Retention of fluid in the Stomach due to Cold:  This syndrome can follow exposure to cold or rain.  It can also come from eating too much cold food and liquids, or unsuitable raw foods (like infected salads.  Keep me away from those...)  Manifests as dull pain in epigastric region and vomiting of watery fluid.  A white sticky tongue coating with thready, slow pulse may occur.
3. Hyperactivity of the fire of the stomach:  This is due to overeating rich and/or spicy foods.  Manifests as burning epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting.  Red tongue with dry, yellowish coating may be present.

These syndromes point out the importance of asking about one's diet habits.  Perhaps they are eating in a way that is hurting them!

Well, that's all the news on the stomach that is fit to print for now.  See you tonight in the spleen!!!
St45 Metal point.

Large Intestine Time

Looks like I'm getting a lot of study time in today, and that's good.  It will help make up for the weekend when I didn't study a damn thing, as we were in Niagara Falls at Great Wolf Lodge!  Oh, and driving.  Plenty of driving.  Did I mention the driving?  All hail grandma who came down as far south as Orillia to pick up Bianca-Rose, which saved us an additional 3 hours drive.

Here's some extra stuff that should probably go in the other post, but here they are:

There are 5 important physiological effects of needling, and they can be enhanced by using the following specific points:

Analgesic: Li4, St44
Sedative: Du20, H7, Ub62
Homeostatic: Li11, St36, Sp6
Immune-enhancing, anti-inflammatory: Du14, Li11, Sp6
Motor Recovery: Acupuncture points situated over the motor points of the affected muscles, such as St32.

Meanwhile, let's go over the important stuff that is related to the Large Intestine!  Oh boy, I can't wait!!!

...

The Large Intestine Meridian has 20 points on it, starting on the medial edge of the index finger at the base of the nail, running up the arm, into the shoulder, up the neck, up to the side of the lips and across the center of the upper lip at Du26 and ending on the opposite side at the nose.

Clinical Uses

1. Pain Relief:  The Li meridian is used for the relief of pain.  Specifically, Li4 is the best analgesic point on the entire body, and is useful to relieve pain anywhere.  It is the most common point to use for surgery a
   anesthesia, although I don't get much chance to use it for that!
   
2. Diseases along the channel, such as paralysis of the upper limb, or frozen shoulder
   
3. Respiratory disorders, such as rhinitis and pharyngitis
   
4. Fever
   
5. High blood pressure
   
6. Skin Disorders
   
7. Therapy and surgery anesthesia of thyroid gland disorders

Here are the most commonly used points on this meridian:

Li4, Yuan source point.  In Chinese, Hegu means "The Great Eliminator".  This is also one of the 6 important distal points.  It's indicated for almost everything (because it's pain relief abilities) but specifically:

• Disorders of the thumb, forefinger and wrist
• The best analgesic point on the body!
• Distal point for the front of head, face and neck, and distal for the sense organs
• Disorders of the large intestine, such as acute intestinal colic (pain and distension of the intestines, especially prevalent in babies)
• Disorders of the lung

Li10, Shiatsu pain relief point, good for tennis elbow, pain, tremor or paralysis of the upper or lower arm.

And it's time to go to work, so it's unfinished post time!

Right then, back at the notes!

Li11, Homeostatic point, Immune Enhancing Point.  This is another excellent point for just about everything because of its particularly strong physiological actions of immunity and homeostasis.  In addition, it's good for:
Elbow disorders, paralysis of the arm, high blood pressure (!) and skin diseases.

Li15, Shoulder point.  This is one of the best points, along with Sj14, Si9, Wonder Point and St38 (in the shin) for frozen shoulder.  When pain is present, using Li4 as distal and pain relief cures frozen shoulder faster than any other form of treatment on the planet!

Li18,  Endocrine point.  This is indicated for many things, including cough, excessive sputum, sore throat, thyroid disorders, including hypothyroidism, and works as anesthesia for thyroid surgery.  Again, I don't get to use it in THAT application, but it's good to know it's there!  This is a particularly dangerous point, as there are major structures in the area.

Li19, Nose point.  This is good for anything nose, including epistaxis (bleeding from the nose), nasal obstruction, facial paralysis, trigeminal neuralgia and toothache.

Li20, Another Nose Point.  This is also good for anything nose, including rhinitis, epistaxis, blockage of the nose due to inflammation, sinusitis, facial paralysis, trigeminal neuralgia and toothaches.

Here's the list of the other exciting points on the LI channel:

Li1 Shangyang,  Jing Well point, Metal point
Li2 Erjian, Water Point
Li3 Sanjian, Wood point
Li4 Hegu, Pain kicking point, Yuan source point (transfers energy to Lu7, the Luo connecting point), best analgesic point on the body, one of 6 important distal points
Li5 Yangxi, Fire point
Li6 Pianli, Luo connecting point
Li7 Wenliu, Xi-cleft point
Li8, Xialian
Li9 Shanglian
Li10 Shousanli
Li11, Quchi Best homeostatic point on the body, excellent immune enhancing point, Earth Point
Li12 Zouliao
Li13 Wuli
Li14 Binao
Li15 Jianyu
Li16 Jugu
Li17 Tianding
Li18 Neck Futu
Li19 Nose Heliao
Li20 Yingxiang

The internal energy circulates from the side of the nose at Li20 into St1.  The large intestine channel is the mother of stomach and son of Lung.

The Lung and Li are related to the skin and body hair.  Both organs are connected to the nose.  Each organ is connected to a specific tissue and sense organ.  The Li channel is usually not useful for treating chronic problems with the Li itself.

The Li channel sends a communicating branch to Du14.  The internal channel starts at the superclavicular fossa, passes through the lung and enters the diaphragm and then the large intestine.  There is also a connection to St37, it's lower He-Sea point.

Syndromes of the Large Intestine

A:  Pain along the channel, frozen shoulder, pharyngitis, toothache, epistaxis and rhinitis (stuffy nose)

B:  The large intestine organ:  Diseases of the Li have 3 main clinical presentations

1. Stasis of the Large Intestine:  This is caused by eating "unclean food".  Manifestations are constipation or diarrhea, distension of the abdomen, abdominal tenderness aggravated by palpation.  The tongue will be white and sticky, and a Shi type pulse will be present.
2. Damp Heat in the Large Intestine:  This is caused by "unsuitable food".  This time we have diarrhea with possible blood in the stool, mucus and tenesmus (straining during attempting a bowel movement).  The stools are offensive smelling.  The tongue will be red with yellow coating (fire).  The pulse is rapid and "rolling".
3. Stagnation of blood and heat in the Large Intestine.  This is caused by climatic or geographical changes.  Here we'll have abdominal pain, constipation.  Red tongue with yellow sticky coating.

And that, my faithful following bloggers (you know who you are), is the long and the short of the Large Intestine!

How does Acupuncure Work?

Boy, if I had $45 every time someone asked me this question...  Oh wait, most people do pay me that to answer this question!  Well, I let their own body do the answering for me.  Here's a list of what happens when you get acupuncture.  Maybe you'll see something here that you could use help with.

1. Pain Relief Effect.  This is easily the best known of all the effects of acupuncture.  The effect is actually achieved by raising the pain threshold as opposed to reducing the pain in the area, although that happens as well.  The great thing about this, is that one point alone can affect the pain in the entire body!  So if I've only got one needle, and someone is in lots of generalized pain, simply putting into Li4 (that's the one between the thumb and forefinger on that muscle that pops up when you bring the thumb in) will help you feel better, often, loads better.  Some points on the body are better at this than others, the best being Li4.  But, St44 and St43 (these are located on the foot between the 2nd and 3rd toes) are also useful for this, but are a bit more sensitive.  Mind you, having said that, it's been my experience that most people dislike the local sensation of having Li4 needled.  I disagree.  The worst needle to get is P6!  Well, K1 is nasty too, but it can be done in a way that is virtually painless, but don't tell my patients that it's supposed to hurt like crazy, because most barely notice that I've put it in!
   
   
2. Sedation Effect.  Most people will actually fall asleep during treatment, and wake up refreshed.  I believe that this is one of the most important aspects of acupuncture, because the root of all healing is rest.  If I can get someone to rest properly even for the duration of the treatment, that's a fantastic push in the right direction for most people. 
   
   Studies show that there is a marked decrease in Delta and Theta wave activity in the brains of people who are being treated with acupuncture.  This effect is why acupuncture can be used to effectively treat insomnia, anxiety, addictions, epilepsy, mental disorders and behavioral problems.
   
   
3. Homeostatic or Regulatory Effect:  This means that there is an adjustment of the internal environment towards a state of normal balance.  Generally, homeostasis is achieved in the body by the combination of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and by the endocrine system.  In addition, there are numerous homeostatic mechanisms in the body, such as temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, metabolic rate, sweating, acid/alkaline balance and many other vital balances that need to be kept in proper ratios to keep the body healthy.  What happens in the application of acupuncture, is that all of these systems tend to move towards equilibrium.  This is why the exact set of points can be used to treat both high blood pressure and low blood pressure, or constipation and diarrhea. 
    
4. Immune-Enhancing Effect.  It has been shown that acupuncture results in an improvement in the bodies' ability to resist disease.  It has also been shown that there is an increase in white blood cell activity, sometimes as great as two or four fold.  It seems that the bodies reticuloendothelial system is activated with acupuncture.  Studies have shown that acupuncture can have a curative effect on even serious infections, such as appendicitis and tonsillitis.  As with pain relief, there are some acupuncture points that are better than others.  The best immune enhancing points are Du14 (located in the back of the neck, a hand-width below the hairline), Li11 (at the lateral end of the elbow crease when the elbow is semi-flexed) and Sp6 (one hand-width above the medial malleolus [that's the bone that juts out on the inside of the ankle joint])  It has been shown that acupuncture can be used when antibiotics cannot be, and that it has little or no side effects, which is not the case with antibiotics.
   
5. Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Allergic Effect:  Again, some points are better than others at this, but generally speaking, any acupuncture point that is used in an area that is inflamed will have an anti-inflammatory effect.  The anti allergic effects are a little more obtuse, as you have to know where they are to use them.  However, any acupuncture point that is near a skin reaction will help relieve the allergic reaction.
   
6. Psychological Effect:  This is the calming and tranquilizing effect that is quite separate from mere sedation.  Measurable effects have been reported on the metabolic tissues of the brain.  For instance, there is an increase in the dopamine content of the brain after acupuncture.  This may account for it's effectiveness in certain mental disorders, where there is a depletion of the dopamine content of the brain. 
   
   This psychological effect should not be confused with hypnosis or autosuggestion.  These effects follow acupuncture, and do not proceed it.  Hypnosis only works in about 10-15% of the population, whereas some degree of acupuncture analgesia can be induced in almost any person or animal!
   
7. Motor Recovery Effect:  Acupuncture hastens the motor recovery of patients that have been paralyzed for one reason or another.  Even late cases of motor paralysis can respond well to acupuncture, despite previous failure of other forms of therapy.  The explanation of this effect is complicated, as it involves antidromic stimulation of the anterior horn cells and their re-activation through a bio-feedback mechanism, operating through the Renshaw and Cajal cells of the spinal cord.  Whew.
   
   There was an amazing experiment done that proved that acupuncture is not simply mind over mater, and that some physiological changes are occurring during and after treatments.  A rabbit was acupunctured, and it was found that the pain threshold rose.  Then, they circulated the cerbrospinal fluid into a non-acupunctured animal, that animal's pain threshold also rose!  The exact nature of which neurotransmitters were involved is still under investigation, but the implications of this research strongly suggest that our endocrine system and neurotransmitter system is involved and stimulated with acupuncture.
   
   Pretty neat stuff, eh?  So when someone asks you how acupuncture works, send them this article! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Studies Continue

Well, it's Tuesday morning, and today's entry is all about some basic acupuncture rules and the Lung Channel.

Today's entry is also all about study notes, so for those of you who don't understand a word I'm about to say, this is all about studying for my exam...  My notes are back at the office, so I thought this would be a good way for me to create study notes and store them in a secure location!


Here's a fundamental principle of all acupuncture points.  All acupuncture points treat diseases that are local to the area they are in.  Duh...  Boy, am I glad I put that one down...

Influential Points:  There are 8 of these, that have specific influence over generalized structures in the body.  Sounds like an oxymoron, but you'll see:

Lu9 Vascular System
Gb34, Muscles and Tendons
Ub11, Bone and cartilage
Ub17, Blood (also, blood sugar)
Ren12, Fu (hollow, Yang) organs
Gb39, Marrow (including cerebral-spinal fluid)
Liv14, Zang (solid, Yin) organs
Ren17 for respiration

Horary Points:  There is a wax and wane of energy flow in each of the 12 regular channels.  Depending on the time of day, there is a 2 hour period where each organ system is the most active.  Traditionally, one can use the point for that organ system if it is they happen to be in the clinic at the time that organ is out of balance.  If it is not at that time, you can use the point 12 hours opposite to influence the diseased organ.  The organ watch diagram is really useful for this.  Also, from the organ watch diagram, the mother/son points for organ watch become apparent.  One useful feature of horary points is that they can be used to treat jet-lag.


Yuan Source Points:  There is one on each channel, and this is where energy accumulates.  It is at this point that Yin energy is converted to Yang energy and vice-versa, before it is transferred to it's paired organ via the Luo connecting point.  Yuan source points are excellent for treating sub-acute or chronic disorders of the pertaining organ.  When there is an imbalance in both paired organs, both the Yuan source and Luo connecting points can be used to balance the energy.

Collateral Channels:  The Luo collateral channels are the channel between the Yuan source point and Luo connecting points of paired organs.  There is a connection running in both directions, depending on which organ is deficient or in excess.  In deficiency, use the Luo connecting point of that organ.

Xi-Cleft Points:  In each channel, there is a point called the Xi-Cleft point that is used in cases of acute disorders of that channel or organ.  These make excellent first aid points until conventional treatment arrives.

Jing Wells:  These are the most distal points on the body for each channel.  They are used like Xi-Cleft points in acute emergencies, such as coma, severe pain, high fever and shock.  The best of the bunch is K1 on the ball of the foot where the skin changes color.  This one can resuscitate a drowned person all by itself.  But, I'd recommend that you also do all the other first aid things too!

Confluent Points:  These are points of the 8 extraordinary channels where the main energy in that channel is focused.

6 Important Distal Points:

Arm:
Lu7, back of head and neck
Li4, Front of head and neck, face and all senses
P6, Chest, upper half of the abdomen (above umbilicus) and internal organs in these areas
Leg:
St36, abdomen, including abdominal organs.  Also a general tonification point
Ub40, low backache, sciatica, urinary/genital problems
Sp6, pelvic disorders, external genitalia, perineal area.  This is another general tonification point.

Lung Channel Commonly Used Points:

Lu1, Alarm point for lung.  Alarm points are special acupuncture points that, when palpated, if sore, indicate that the corresponding organ is distressed or diseased.  This is a dangerous point, as the lung lies underneath it.

Lu5, Water point (Kidney), Son point.  This is particularly effective for skin diseases, such as psoriasis and excema and pruritus (any condition that makes you want to scratch).

Lu6, Xi-Cleft point.  This is the point of choice for asthma attacks or other lung related acute distress, such as bleeding cough (not that I see that in my clinic, but it's good to know)

Lu7, Luo Connecting Point, One of the 6 important distal points, Confluent Point for the Ren Channel.  This point works distally for any occipital pain, or pain in the upper half of the spine, stiff neck, pain in the back of the chest or any lung disorder.

Lu8 Metal point (Horary Point)

Lu9, Yuan Source Point, Influential point for Vascular disorders, Earth Point, Mother Point.  This point works for all vascular disorders, including arteriosclerosis.  Good local point for anything not working right in the wrist.

Lu10, Motor point

Lu11, Jing Well Point, good for hysterical attack!  Fainting, epileptic attack, convulsions, high fever, resuscitation of a newborn and other acute emergencies.

Syndromes of the Lung:

A: The lung channel: cough, fullness of chest, bronchial asthma, haemoptysis (coughing of blood), pharyngitis, pain along the superficial course of the channel

B: The Organ Lung: There are 4 main clinical syndromes:

1. Deficient Yin:  This occurs in chronic lung disorders.  Manifests as dry cough, scanty sputum, evening temperature, night sweats, red tongue, thready, rapid pulse
2. Invasion of the Lung by Pathogenic Wind:  Difficulty breathing, cough and nasal obstruction together with copious sputum and watery nasal discharge.  If there is wind and cold, a white coating on the tongue occurs.  If there is heat with wind, the tongue coating is yellow and the sputum is purulent (full of pus, Ie, not clear, yellow or green colors)
3. Damp Phlegm in the Lung:  The damp phlegm blocks the passage of the vital energy pathways.  Once again, we have cough, but this time with dyspnoea (a fancy way to say "short of breath") and the expectoration of copious white frothy sputum.  The tongue coating would be white
4. Phlegm-heat in the Lung:  This is caused by an invasion of endogenous factors which produces heat in the lung.  Manifests as bronchial asthma.  Foul smelling purulent sputum may be expectorated.  There may be blood in the sputum.  Red tongue with yellow coating and rapid pulse may also be present.

Whew.  That's it for lung!  On to some review of other really cool acupuncture theories.